Zaigou
by Love From Vikky
Summary: The four years between Itachi's massacre of the Uchiha clan and his reappearance are obscured in mystery- what happened? Touches on most genres. Please read! I've improved.
1. Trouble

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Summary: This is a story about a member of the Akatsuki terrorist group and their relationship with the members.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, suggestive content. Rating is expected to go up in later installments.  
  
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We all know what happened four years ago when Uchiha Itachi, age thirteen at the time, slaughtered all but one of the Uchiha clan. From there, he disappeared until age seventeen, where the Naruto manga began.  
But what happened in those four years...? Nothing was known or spoken of until my vivid imagination dreamed this up.  
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "Zaigou".  
  
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Small, dark clouds rolled through the night sky, blotting the stars from view. A chill breeze blew from the North, a sure sign of the approaching winter season. It was an unnaturally still night, the crickets and katydids forsaking their autumn serenades as if in respect for the vile act being committed in their mist. Only one sound broke the stifling stillness of the evening, piercing the air like shattering glass.  
  
"Please, sir, have mercy!" cried the short, bald old man as he knelt on hands and knees at his attacker's feet. "I beseech thee, take what you want and leave me in peace!" The tiny man's voice came short and ragged from the pain already coursing through his veins. His small, beady, tear- filled eyes gazed up at his assailant pleadingly in hopes of reconciliation and pity, but brought him just the opposite. The strange marks surrounding the pupil of the attacker's eyes spun around rapidly, and the pitiful man was flung into a room of torture within himself. With a quick shudder, the victim fell face-forward into the dirt before him, his eyes rolling back in his head and a low gurgle rattling from his throat as his life was snuffed out like a candle.  
  
"Pitiful," scoffed the dark character who stood before the still corpse, his voice low and icy. As if on cue, the cloud that had been drifting before the harvest moon disappeared, allowing ochre light to grace the earth's surface.  
  
A tall teenager, his body encased by a flowing black cloak decorated sparingly with crimson clouds, towered over the silent body of the expired man. Silky, flowing onyx hair, pulled back in a low ponytail and secured by a gold ring, lashed lazily against the boy's back with the breeze. The dark bangs that framed his pallid face could not obscure the glint of his metal forehead protector, the symbol carved upon it being that of the Hidden Leaf Village, a slash through its center as proof of his deflection from the ninja base. Heavily-lashed Sharingan eyes glared out coldly and emotionlessly from beneath thin black brows, furrowed towards his forehead center in disgust and contempt. Twin scars graced his cheeks, following a path down the inside of his cheekbones and surrounding his small, pointed nose. A thin, almost lip-less mouth completed his features, its position currently in a prim, hateful frown.  
  
This was the missing sage ninja, Uchiha Itachi. Wanted for the murder of the Hidden Leaf Village's most elite clan, the Uchiha, among a multitude of other things. The teenager, who looked to be about sixteen years along in his life, stood as a statue would for several moments, his expression of disgusted indifference never wavering.  
  
"Kisame," he suddenly spoke, his frowning mouth opening slightly as the sound escaped his lips. For several silent seconds, the world seemed still. It was as if the boy had spoken to the passing wind, but the crunching of dried leaves announced his companion's arrival.  
  
"Itachi-sama," said the man as he appeared. Pale blue skin and white hair immediately set off his shark-like appearance. Twin sets of gills graced his cheeks, along either side of his wide, straight nose. Red eyes, though unlike the other boy's, glowed from beneath his own forehead protector. The symbol of the Hidden Mist Village, so carefully engraved upon the metal, had been slashed through heartlessly as an act of contempt. A long black cloaked, adorned with crimson clouds as Itachi's, flowed in the breeze. A large sheathed sword donned the man's back.  
  
"What do you want, Kisame?" Itachi hissed acidly to his assigned partner. 'I prefer to shed blood alone, you of all people should know that." The malice in the teenager's voice was unmistakable, and Kisame the shark-man inched back slightly.  
  
"Orochimaru-sama is assembling all members for a very important meeting," Kisame replied, his voice grating and gruff in his throat, like the sound of barnacles being rubbed together. "He would appreciate it greatly if you came for once." Kisame could only widen his beady eyes in fear as, in an ebony blur, Itachi closed the teen-foot gap between them, drawing a kunai to Kisame's neck in the process.  
  
"I did not ask for your cheek, shark man," hissed Itachi threateningly. Though the two partners were at the same skill level, it seemed as if planes of power separated them, Itachi's skills surpassing Kisame's own. The superiority in strength had given the teenager an attitude that could be only matched by a lord or daimyoh.  
  
"Understood, Itachi-sama," Kisame gulped nervously. Itachi silently sheathed his kunai and withdrew from his comrade's jugular. "If Orochimaru wants us all to meet, it must be for a decent reason," Itachi mused aloud. "I suppose we should be making our way to the meeting place."  
  
And with two silent streaks of black, two of the terrorist group known as the Ataktsuki- that supposedly consisted of only eight members- slipped away into the fabric of the night.  
  
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In chapter two: Who is the mysterious new member of the Atatsuki? 


	2. Tiger

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating will go up in later installments.  
  
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Seven sage-nin from various hidden villages sat silently in a forest clearing, none of the legendary warriors making a sound. The anticipation that hung so heavily in the air, though, said more about the mood than anyone would speak aloud. Expectation and anxiety lingered thickly in the shrouded wood, every eye alert for the slightest motion from the large camouflage-patterned tent that had been so carefully erected for this meeting.  
  
"A ha ha, of course," laughed a voice from inside the tent, causing the strain in the seven gathered terrorists to snap suddenly. All eyes turned to the tent flap as it rustled and was pulled aside, revealing a tall, dark figure. The form stepped silently into the mist of the gathered Atatsuki, and bowed its head. "Good evening, fellow sage ninja," greeted the figure solemnly, its voice smooth and seductive. "May someone start a fire? You will need your eyes during this meeting. Almost immediately, a small flame burst from the ground at the figure's feet, yet the person did not even flinch at the sudden heat. "Ah, thank you. Now, I know that you would all rather be out, indulging in your every desire," there was a murmur of assent at this statement, "but I beseech you to hold on a moment longer."  
  
The speaker, now illuminated, would be able to frighten a child to tears just at the mere glance. Sleek black hair feel unabated to the serpentine man's hips. Slanted yellow eyes, pupils shaped like a snake's, graced his gaunt face. A long, pointy nose led down his chalky face to his seemingly lip-less mouth, which was curved up in a freakish grin. If any wise adult looked at him, they would think that this was not truly a human, rather a snake in a man's skin.  
  
"The Akatsuki is a small group, carefully selecting our members. I will not get into a long-winded speech now, so here you go- the bottom line. I have found a person who seems suitable to join." The clearing was silent, and the serpent man in the center merely smiled. "I will bring them out for your inspection." The tall, lean man turned on his heel and disappeared back into his tent, and the sound of brief scuffling and murmurs could be discerned.  
  
It would be a lie to say that every member of the Akatsuki was not curious as to who this new member was. Surely it was just some man who got past Orochimaru by luck, and would die by the current members' hands as they tested him. That was just the way it was- no one had gotten past the test after Itachi.  
  
All thoughts suddenly turned back to the tent as the flap opened once more, and Orochimaru stepped out, someone behind him. From what the Akatsuki could see, the person behind Orochimaru was shorter by almost a foot, eight inches at least. But, then again, nothing else could be discerned until they entered the firelight. And as they did, everyone let out a silent gasp inside themselves.  
  
The person behind Orochimaru was not some tall, dark, intimidating man- it was a kunoichi, a female ninja. Silky hair, a mixture of both deep orange and golden brown, graced her head. Most of the shiny hair was pulled back in two low buns, held by black ribbons. Two thin sections of hair framed her lovely young face. The heart-shape of her face set off her beauty immediately, though her large, slanted jade eyes surrounded by long, thick lashes were just as- if not more- noticeable. Her eyebrows arched up and back down expectantly. A tiny nose and tanned skin complimented her looks as well. Her mouth, unlike most of the others surrounding her, had full, perfect lips that were colored a dark- almost black- brown, giving her the definite look of a foreigner. Her height, despite her exotic beauty, left something to be desired- she was only about five feet tall, five inches.  
  
Her clothing choice flaunted her lean, muscular body as well. Though she looked to be only about fourteen years of age, her body displayed what many adult women would seek. A black tube top covered her moderately-sized bust, and a long-sleeved mesh shirt was flung on over that, its semitransparent fabric exposing her slim waist. Full hips and thin legs were clothes by white capris, and traditional dark blue sandals graced her tiny feet. Two brown leather belts with small silver studs crossed over her hips, and an emerald necklace hung from her neck down between her breasts.  
  
"What is this, a joke Orochimaru-sama?" asked one of the terrorist group members, amusement in his voice. "Look, we know its been a while, but-"  
  
"I'm not here for your personal enjoyment," said the girl in a low, threatening voice, immediately silencing the speaker. Her dark jade eyes flashed brightly for a moment, but then returned to their original color.  
  
"Yes, well, as she has stated, Tora is not here for our pleasure," Orochimaru chuckled. "I have brought her here as a potential Akatsuki member. Would anyone care to test her abilities before we initiate her?" There was silence for a moment.  
  
"I want to challenge her," said one icy voice from the dark. All eyes darted to the speaker- Itachi. The teenager stepped out of the shadows and approached the young girl silently, their eyes never leaving each other's. Itachi stopped exactly one foot away from Tora, and Orochimaru stepped away to the sides of the clearing.  
  
"Feel free to begin whenever you wish, now. Oh yes- and I'd prefer it if you both survived," the serpentine ringleader said calmly.  
  
"I hope you realize what you have gotten yourself into," Itachi whispered, his indifferent expression unwavering.  
  
"I know what I have done," Tora replied, something like sadness in her husky whisper. She stared back at Itachi placidly, cool wisps of golden chakra emanating from her lean form.  
  
"Begin," Orochimaru instructed.  
  
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Preview for Chapter Three: In a battle expected to be fought to the death, who is going down? 


	3. Trial

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult content, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in later installments.  
  
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Even before Orochimaru finished saying "begin", Tora had swiftly and wisely retreated from Itachi, her steps as silent and sure as a cat's. Her own strategy of withdrawing saved her from defeat, as Itachi pallid hand shot out from the cover of his cloak as swift as lightning, a kunai extended. The scarred blade would have gouged her abdomen had she been even a millisecond slower. However, by the time the blade had disappeared back into its sheath, Itachi was on the move, darting after the retreating girl.  
  
'Damn it,' Tora thought as she nimbly sprinted from bough to bough of the mighty forest trees. 'Our speeds are matched equally, but my stamina will be my downfall. I can't keep this up much longer. I need a plan... yes, that will work.' The fourteen year old girl deliberately slowed her pace the slightest half step, closing part of the gap between her and her opponent.  
  
Itachi spotted the slight misstep in Tora's path, and used the tiny imperfection to gain distance on her. Slipping ahead silently, his speed now greater than hers by the tiniest bit, he closed the distance between them. However, just as he was launching the barrage of shuriken from between his fingers, Tora disappeared. Itachi, his mask of indifference slipping slightly, halted in his step and, in the space of a second, tried to sense her chakra. The ebony-haired sage cursed the annoying girl- she had clouded her chakra to the point where it was practically nothing.  
  
Suddenly, two feet landed firmly on Itachi's back, sending his stumbling forward. Tora landed from her flight on the spot where he had been standing just a breath before, watching silently as Itachi smoothly regained his footing and faced her, now perching on a branch about seven feet away.  
  
'You thought I fell between branches. That was foolish! I slowed my step so that you could get close enough, then I dropped under the branch and swung myself back up, kicking you!' Tora's firmly-set frown almost slipped into a smirk, but she controlled herself. 'No, this man is too strong for that. I do not want to make him my true enemy.' Not giving Itachi a chance to rush her, Tora turned and dashed away again.  
  
Itachi, frowning in frustration, followed heatedly behind, mentally berating himself for falling for such simple taijutsu. But, yes! Ah, he had her in his sights now. She wasn't going to pull another stunt like that again, not on him! Itachi smirked as a plan came into his head. This Tora, the tiger girl, was it true that kitties couldn't swim...?  
  
Tora grunted in exertion as she ran from her pursuer, her stamina waning dangerously. She had to end this quickly, or she would get caught and killed. Raw, panicked energy coursed through her veins as she nimbly avoided Itachi. But already, in her state of instinctive fear, she had formed a new plan, maybe one that would work better.  
  
Tora leapt from her tree, up into the air. By focusing all of her chakra into the bottoms of her feet, she flew up into the dark night sky night a comet. She went as far as she could afford to- twenty feet in the air. Looking down, she searched for Itachi.  
  
'I will have you this time- my fire jutsus have yet to be beaten.' Tora's emerald eyes widened, letting in any light available so that she could see where her attacker would emerge from the treetops.  
  
Suddenly, in an explosion of brilliant orange leaves, Itachi zoomed up at Tora, his glowing Sharingan eyes whirling around in preparation for mirroring. Tora's eyes widened- his speed was incredible. Her fingers flying nimbly into the animal signs of the zodiac, she attacked.  
  
"Renda no Hi no Jutsu!" Tora and Itachi cried at the same time. Great walls of vivid flames shot forth from both of their hands, zooming towards each other and exploding in a blinding flash upon impact. But Itachi didn't waste time. Not waiting to see the outcome of the attack, he shot up at Tora and grabbed her in a headlock.  
  
"You bastard!" growled Tora as she struggled in his grasp. Her long, black-colored nails shot up and clawed at Itachi's eyes, but the teenage boy used his other free hand to twist her wrists behind her back. Gripping her wrists too tightly, Tora's concentration loosened and her chakra soared from her feet back through her body. Now the only thing keeping her from falling was Itachi's concentration. But suddenly, wind rushed up to meet Tora, and the two fell.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?!" growled Tora. 'If he lets me go, I can land safely. If he hangs onto me, we will both die.' Before she got an answer, though, Tora noticed the gap in the tress they had just plummeted through. It all pieced together. 'Wait- a gap in the trees means a break in the ground. A break in the ground means a body of water. A body of water means death!'  
  
Itachi felt Tora squirm in hi grasp and smirked sickly, sensing her sudden fear at the truth. But it was too late for her now.  
  
The two sage ninja plunged into the murky water, Tora's struggling increasing ten fold as she felt the wetness on her skin. But Itachi didn't let go, even as the two sink the bottom of the river.  
  
Tora, the tiger girl, couldn't take it. She let her eyes begin to close.  
  
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In chapter four: We all know that Tora didn't die, but what will happen when she is placed on Itachi's team? 


	4. Trepidation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in further installments.  
  
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Itachi let himself and his captive drift back to the water's surface, both of them still- though for two different reasons. With Tora knocked out, Itachi felt no need to rush things- a leisurely pace would be acceptable. The sixteen year old leapt from the water and back onto land, carrying the unconscious girl under one arm, her body partially obscured by his cloak. Suddenly, the limp girl in his arms stirred. Itachi scowled, realizing that this would mean he would have to rush a bit. He frowned and quickened his pace.  
  
"Ah, Itachi-sama, how was the test?" Orochimaru said lightly as Itachi reappeared back at camp. "I hope that you didn't kill her." Itachi flung Tora's limp body into the center of the circle roughly, immediately causing her to wake. With cat-like reflexes, she leapt up and crouched into a fighting stance. But her shoulders sagged as the vivid memories of her encounter with Itachi flooded back into her mind. Despite her loss, though, she straightened her back and stood up straight.  
  
"She did not defeat me," Itachi murmured quietly, and Orochimaru smirked.  
  
"Well, of course not. That was expected." Orochimaru turned away from Itachi and held his arms akimbo as he addressed the rest of the terrorist group. "Gentlemen, it is time for us to choose her punishment for her loss. Any suggestions?"  
  
"I'll take her," said one gruff voice, and several members of the group chuckled evilly. Tora's face of calm confidence did not stir even the slightest bit at the dirty remark. Orochimaru chuckled with the men, slyly slipped around behind Tora.  
  
"Yes, well, such a punishment seems too light for such a great warrior," said the serpent in a seductive voice, standing close behind Tora and placing a light hand on each shoulder and his lips close to her ear. "But maybe we should ask dear Tora what she wants..."  
  
"I foolishly believed that I could be accepted into your group, and I was wrong. I accept my defeat and welcome its consequences," Tora stated emotionlessly.  
  
"Well then, I suppose that I will decide your fate... come into the tent with me now, we will discuss your sentence..." Orochimaru purred, brushing his hand over her stomach. Tora visible stiffened, causing Orochimaru to laugh heartily. Now, now, Tora! We are a group of men-"  
  
"Stop," Itachi commended suddenly, drawing the attention back to him. "She deserves a place in our group." Something in his hateful gaze made Orochimaru unfurl his arm from Tora's midsection and back away cautiously.  
  
"Fine then," Orochimaru said lightly as if he had made the choice on his own. "Tora is welcomed into the Akatsuchi." Tora was left standing there as Orochimaru picked up a folded cloak from a strategically placed spot on the group and began pinning it for Tora, but she stopped him.  
  
"I will treat you with respect, so shall you with me," she hissed, and Orochimaru slipped off to sulk somewhere. Tora fastened the cloak on her own and took a seat off to the side of the clearing, a safe distance away from any lonely ninja men. Unfortunately, Orochimaru still had business to attend to.  
  
"Well then, I believe that our newest member should go on Itachi and Kisame's team, as she will learn a lot from them." There was a slight mutter of dissent, and Orochimaru finished speaking. "Well, before all of you polite men think about forming an intimate relationship with Tora-chan, remember that she put up a decent fight with Itachi, which is more than any of you could quite manage." All was silent after this statement. "Very well then, meeting adjourned. You may all return to your normal activities." Half of the group dashed away into the forest, Orochimaru sauntered into his tent, and the three remaining ninja stood silently for several moments.  
  
"Itachi-sama, we should be going," Kisame murmured to his partner. The younger man nodded, and beckoned to Tora, who silently followed as they disappeared into the night.  
  
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In chapter five: Itachi and Tora have a silent empathy for one another- but no one will act on it. 


	5. Taunt

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in further installments.  
  
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The trio of Akatsuchi terrorists journeyed silently until dawn, Kisame and Tora respectfully following their unofficial leader. The clouds that had previously shrouded the starry night sky had long since ventured southward, unveiling the pallid moon and flickering stars. Cold breezes constantly plagued the sage-nin, but they bore the chill in silence. No one spoke, sound was not necessary.  
  
Kisame was the first to speak after six hours of travel, the frigid fingers of dawn long since arisen over the wooded area they traveled.  
  
"Itachi-sama, Tora-sama, perhaps we should rest soon. There is a village near here, we should have no problem obtaining a resting place," the blue-skinned man suggested hopefully. "We could also find sustenance to hold us off until our next raid."  
  
That would be wise, Itachi-sama," Tora added in calmly, her voice cool and controlled. "If we are to be at our best, we should find some form of shelter- and besides, there is a heavy rain storm coming." Itachi halted in his steps and turned to face his two partners, his expression of absolute loathing.  
  
"What a waste of time stopping would be. There is nothing but poor housing in the village. We would be able to survive out here on our own, we don't need shelter. You two are weak," he growled scornfully. He smirked, though, and suddenly disappeared. Kisame let out a startled little growl.  
  
"Shit, I hate it when he does that," he complained gruffly, directing his comment to Tora. "I mean, he will just show back up in the most unexpected-" he continued, turning to face his female companion. He stopped mid-step, his face blanching at what he saw.  
  
Itachi stood behind Tora, his pale arm unveiled from his cloak and snaking up through Tora's. His hand reappeared at the collar, holding a kunai to her throat threateningly. Kisame would have expected Tora to have screamed at this intrusion, but the girl stood tall, still, and expressionless. Her jade eyes did not stir, instead just stared straight ahead in an unreadable expression. Still, Kisame wasn't just shocked at Itachi's aggressive action. No, it was the fact that he had, with his free hand, undone the ribbons holding Tora's hair back in two little buns. Now the fiery waves of hair cascaded down her back like a burning waterfall.  
  
"You did not flinch," Itachi said, amusement in his voice as he gently nicked Tora's flesh with his kunai. A thin trickle of crimson blood dripped silently down the girl's neck, disappearing into the confines of her cloak. "That is interesting," Itachi continued, that cruel smirk appearing on his lips again as he buried the tip of his nose in her hair, sniffing in the fragrances.  
  
"Please refrain from doing that," commanded Tora icily, her tone dripping malice. Itachi's smirk widened as he withdrew his hand from her cloak and his face from her hair, reappearing at the head of the group.  
  
"Very well, we will seek shelter at the next town," he stated flatly, turning his back and leading them onwards again. Kisame and Tora exchanged glances, the shark man's that of confusion whilst Tora's was the same blank stare. Kisame shrugged, and the two followed their leader in silence.  
  
The village they had reached, as Itachi had said, was in a poor state. The houses were patched and shabby-looking, and the few shops that littered the streets seemed dark and barren. Few people walked the streets, though the few who did could not refrain from cringing at the sight of the three foreboding-looking strangers in their midst.  
  
"This house will do," Itachi said, halting in front of a larger building. The walls and roof did not seem in nearly as bad a condition as most others, though there were several broken windows visible from the outside. "There are people here, though- Tora, you can handle it," Itachi instructed flatly, and Tora nodded silently and slipped through one of the shattered windows.  
  
"What did you do with the bodies?" Itachi asked as, after about two minutes, Tora opened the front door and ushered the men in.  
  
"I have use of them yet, so I have put them in my chosen living quarters," Tora explained, ignoring Kisame's confused look. "I have already taken the liberty of exploring the house. The kitchen, master bathroom, and entertainment room are on the main floor. The basement is full of canned supplies. The first floor consists of a bathroom and four bedrooms."  
  
"Very good," Itachi said, and Tora bowed her head slightly and slipped away up to her selected bedroom. Kisame watched her go.  
  
"Sometimes I forget that she's younger then you, Itachi-sama," Kisame murmured. "She plays her part so well."  
  
"Don't let any emotion get in the way, Kisame," Itachi hissed threateningly. "Foolish feelings like love just get in the way."  
  
"Yes, Itachi-sama," Kisame replied carefully. "I believe that I will go and choose my living space as well." Kisame disappeared up the stairs after Tora, leaving Itachi on his own.  
  
"Damn," Itachi hissed to himself, cursing himself for a fleeting thought that had just crossed his mind.  
  
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In chapter six: What is Itachi thinking? What is Tora doing to the bodies? 


	6. Terrible

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in further installments.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"You can come in," Tora said to seemingly no one as she sat on her designated bed in her designated bedroom. The source of the chakra she had sensed entered, opening the door and closing it behind him silently. Tora need not have glanced up.  
  
"Hello, Tora," Kisame said roughly, sitting down on the bed next to Tora. Tora regarded him with no expression, though her inner working went on immediate alert. For one thing, he hadn't added his respectful "sama" at the end of her name. Also, no one in their right mind would sit next to her on a bed, no one would be that stupid...  
  
"What do you want, Kisame-sama?" asked Tora, slouching forward underneath the confines of her cloak, her eyes staring straight ahead.  
  
"What did you do with the bodies?" Kisame asked, peeking over at her.  
  
"Do you really want to know?" Tora asked, and Kisame nodded stupidly. "I used them to feed my tigers."  
  
"Your tiger?" Kisame asked.  
  
"Yeah, the tigers I can summon when fighting. I like to treat them every now and then." Kisame cringed. "But I know that you didn't come up here just to ask what I did with the bodies, am I correct?"  
  
"You are correct, Tora," Kisame said with a smirk. He reached an arm out from under his cloak and gently placed his palm on Tora's back, watching as she flinched beneath his touch. She quickly slid away from him, cringing on the opposite side of the bed.  
  
"Leave me be," Tora whispered, disgust and sorrow hanging in her words. Kisame smirked. "I have nothing you desire."  
  
"Ah, but a man is a man... why do you cringe when someone touches you?" Kisame asked.  
  
"That is none of your concern," Tora hissed angrily. "Get away from me."  
  
"But Tora-chan," said Kisame smoothly, moving as swiftly and perfectly as water towards Tora. "You are too perfect to be sad... you need to be appreciated..." Kisame grabbed her fist as it swung towards him, crushing her hand in his. Tora growled angrily and swung her other fist at him, but he grabbed that as well. He smirked at her rage.  
  
"Let me go," she growled at him, struggling with her hands.  
  
"No, Tora-chan. Maybe it's time you learned when to give up," Kisame taunted, shoving himself over Tora, knocking her backwards on the bed and forcing his mouth down onto her neck, nibbling her tan skin.  
  
"You dirty bastard," hissed Tora as her cut from before reopened. "You're are going to pay for this." As Kisame slid his mouth downwards towards her collarbone, his cloak covering them both in a dark veil, Tora struck.  
  
"Arrrggghhh!!!" Kisame cried as Tora's teeth sank into the skin of his cheek, her two sharpest teeth puncturing the veins. With a twist of her head, the girl tore a four-inch strip of blue flesh from her attacker's features. He relinquished control of her wrists, reeling back with his hands covering his face. "You little bitch!" he yelled, drawing his sword from his back, revealing his bloodied face. He swung downwards towards Tora's head, the massive blade threatening to cut her in half.  
  
"You asked for it," Tora smirked, leaping backwards just as the sword slashed through the bed. Before the Kisame could react, she leapt up onto the blade and ran up its length, launching herself feet-first into Kisame. Her attack struck true, both soled of her shoes landing directly onto his chest. The shark man fell backwards, dropping his sword. He looked up at Tora, who immediately shoved her foot into his face and breaking his nose. She lightly stepped over the unconscious assailant and out of the room.  
  
"Well, that was expected," Itachi said with a smirk, listening to the whole incident from downstairs.  
  
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In chapter seven: Tora can take care of a house, and maybe get a little closer to its new male inhabitants... 


	7. Turning

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expecting to rise in further installments.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Itachi sat in the kitchen, silently eating cold chicken that had been found in the refrigerator. He placidly watched as Tora bustled around the cooking area, frying fish and mixing spices and all around multitasking as she made a- though Itachi wouldn't admit it aloud- savory smelling meal. The vicious curiosity pulled at Itachi's mind as the girl silently simmered the rice and diced the carrots.  
  
"In God's name, what are you making?" growled Itachi, not bothering to hide his annoyance and anger. The smell of cooking reminded him of his mother, and that was someone he hated to the point of insanity. Tora didn't even face him as she answered.  
  
"Tiger's secret spiced fish with vegetables- with a special sauce passed through my clan, I have to add- over white rice and teriyaki chicken. It is my favorite recipe, Itachi-sama, though I am sure that you do not need my personal view." Tora replied calmly as she expertly transferring a thick golden sauce from a pan into a small bowl. "Does that answer your question sufficiently?"  
  
"Hrm," Itachi mumbled, slouching forward in his chair as if in shame at the pitiful meal he had salvaged.  
  
"There is no need to feel any way embarrassed, Itachi-sama. I have prepared enough for you as well," Tora added politely, a slight hint of a positive emotion like happiness creeping into her voice. Suddenly, she flung her hand from the stirring ladle up in front of her face, grasping the blade of the kunai that had threatened to slay her. Itachi stood close behind her, murderously holding the kunai.  
  
"I am embarrassed of nothing," he hissed in Tora's ear, his other hand cruelly grasping her thick fiery braid that cascaded down her back. "Do you understand that?"  
  
"Of course, Itachi-sama. I understand completely, and I apologize for my foolish assumptions," Tora replied without batting an eyelid at the attack. The two stood there for several moments, Itachi daring Tora to plead for freedom, Tora patiently allowing his actions. Tora, after the uncomfortable minutes, squirmed suddenly. Itachi smirked.  
  
"Afraid, Tora-chan?" he hissed viciously.  
  
"No, Itachi-sama. I need to reach the rice pan, the grains need to be stirred," the girl replied calmly, groping towards the pan handle. "The food will burn." Itachi growled savagely and pulled the kunai back, and Tora lowered er hand foolishly. The blade swung back up and, for the third time in two days, her cut was gouged open. Itachi did not relinquish hold on her hair, and pulled her head savagely back as he whispered in her ear.  
  
"As long as you have that gash, little Tora, know that I am the stronger between us and that I own you," The dark boy whispered evilly, freeing her hair from his hand and withdrawing back to his chair. Tora, wiping the blood from her wound away gingerly, stirred the rice and went back with her cooking, a heavy silence between them. Both ignored the familiar chakra as it neared the kitchen.  
  
"What's that smell?" asked Kisame has he entered the kitchen area, but stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Tora standing over the pots and pans. The left side of his face looked like a giant, heinous blister where Tora had ripped his flesh apart. "Oh, it is you," he growled. Tora did not even turn her head.  
  
"Would you like some dinner, Kisame-sama?" asked Tora as she pulled some plates from a cabinet. "I made plenty."  
  
"No," grumbled Kisame, turning on his heel. "I'll be upstairs." Tora watched him go, the pulled three plates, three bowls, and three sets of wooden chopsticks from the cupboards, carefully piling succulent food on each in three equal portions. She carefully placed a bowl on each plate, and carried two sets of food over to the wooden table. Carefully, she placed one order of food before Itachi, breaking the wooden chopsticks herself as she did.  
  
"Here is your dinner, Itachi-sama," she said respectfully, bowing her head as she placed the other plate across the table, as far from Itachi as the wooden furniture would allow. Itachi looked over at the counter, where a platter of steaming food waited to be eaten.  
  
"I thought Kisame wasn't eating," he murmured.  
  
"He will be hungry soon enough," Tora replied simply as she lifted the plate onto her arm and started out of the room. "He will need strength to heal that gash on his face, Itachi-sama." Carefully, Tora left the kitchen and climbed the stairs, stopping outside of a closed door across the hall from her room. She knocked three times, then gently et the plate of food down at the base of the closed oak door and went back downstairs.  
  
Kisame senses that whomever had been at his door had left so he opened the door a crack and looked out moodily. No one was there, good. But that damned smell from dinner was killing him! That damned girl had made the smell waft up here, tempting him to go downstairs. But no, he wouldn't fall for-  
  
Itachi looked down at the platter of perfect food and unbroken chopsticks at his feet. Greedily and sneakily, he snatched the food away.  
  
Damn that girl, pretending to be nice after what she did and trying to be his friend....  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter eight: Tora takes care of the house, but what does she do after hours? 


	8. Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in later installments.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora finished washing the dishes and went up to her room, grabbing the money purse from the dresser as she went. She walked back down the stairs and into the living room, where Itachi sat calmly on the couch. The girl bowed respectfully before she spoke.  
  
"Itachi-sama, I am going into town," she stated calmly, not blinking or stepping back as his crimson Sharingan eyes darted to her.  
  
"Why are you going there?" he asked acidly, not stirring from his position.  
  
"I am going to pick up some personal items, after which I am going to train by the river that lies to the west, Itachi-sama," Tora replied politely. When Itachi did not reply, she turned with a swish of her cloak and disappeared out of the house.  
  
The town-square was in a pitiful state. The fronts of stores were covered in faded posters and ripped banners, the painted signs long since faded away into nothingness. Few villagers wandered the streets, but Tora managed to get directions to the nearest convenience store.  
  
The store itself was in better condition than it seemed from the outside, but Tora still had trouble with the whole filthiness of it. Wherever she turned, she caught people whispering or staring at her. After she retrieved a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, she waltzed silently up to the checkout, startling the woman behind the counter, who was gossiping with her friend- about Tora.  
  
"She arrived with two shady men." one of them whispered urgently.  
  
"They all had the same outfit! One even dared to carry a large sword!" the other stated. "I've heard from one of my clients that she's seen that girl lingering on street corners at night!"  
  
"Actually, miss, I am as foreign to this village as you are to me," Tora chimed in brightly, startling the women out of their wits. The clerk smiled embarrassingly as she took Tora's money and bagged her items.  
  
After the incident at the store, Tora decided to lay low. Stealthily, she climbed the side of the building and leapt from roof to roof until she was far in the outskirts of the village. Only then did she leap down and walk to the bubbling stream that lay to the west.  
  
The stream was small but four feet deep at the center, the crystalline water clean and warm. The plant life around the water faded away into a small, sandy beach at the river's banks before disappearing beneath the cleansing liquid.  
  
"They named this place adequately," Tora said to herself. "Mizumimi works well with it, for it is like whatever secrets you may whisper into the water flow away downstream, as if it was taking the secrets away to safety." With those words, she shed her cloak and folded it carefully, placing it neatly in the crotch of a tree. Tora smiled as she carefully leaned down over the water, moving her lips in a whisper so quiet that only the water could hear her.  
  
After her moment of silence, Tora quickly leapt up and drew eight kunai, holding one blade between each finger. Focusing her chakra to the soles of her feet, she climbed to the highest branch of a tree and perched there, kicking off her shoes and watching as they fell twenty, thirty, forty feet to the ground below. Using her toes, she pulled one of her leather belts loose and- with almost unbelievable skill- wrapped it over her eyes and hitched it in the back. Focusing her chakra again, Tora swung herself onto the underside of the branch so that she was standing upside down.  
  
"Precision training- method thirty six under Tatsugatsu-sensei! Kamikaze kunai!" cried Tora as she threw all eight kunai at once. She swung herself back up onto the top of the branch and lifted the belt from her eyes.  
  
All eight kunai had hit the same twig, slicing it to shreds.  
  
"Three hundred repetitions!" cried Tora, launching herself down the tree to retrieve her kunai.  
  
After three hours of intense precision training, Tora ended her exercises and crouched by the stream. She silently pulled her black shirt over her head and folded it carefully, along with her pants and undergarments. Shaking her hair free of its tight braid, she slipped into the pristine water. Taking a deep breath, she quickly dipped herself under, but only for a half-second.  
  
"I hate being underwater," Tora mumbled to herself as she reached for her shampoo, lathering the gooey substance and spreading it in her hair. With a deep sigh, she sunk backwards to that her hair could rinse, and then spattered the thick conditioner in it. As any girl would know, you leave the conditioner in for about five minutes. So, in that time, Tora used some of the remaining shampoo to cleanse her body.  
  
As soon as she finished her bath, she stepped out of the water to retrieve her clothes, hoping that her cloak would hide her wetness. There was no need for Itachi or Kisame to know what she had done.  
  
"What?" muttered Tora in disbelief. A white towel perched folded on her clothes, a single fox-like paw print on it.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter nine: Something isn't right with the way Itachi has been looking at Tora over the past week. 


	9. Temptation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in further installments.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora, after gratefully drying herself off with the fluffy white towel, dressed herself and decided to explore her surroundings a bit more before going back to her stolen home. The fox-like paw print on the towel was less of a clue than she had hoped, her futile prayers of finding the polite stranger diminishing quickly. With a heavy sigh, the tiger girl flopped down on the sandy stream bank, a half hour of searching and tracking wasted. Whoever had put that towel there left no trace of themselves behind, and that was something very hard to do. Tora had been one of the best trackers in her village, and had a reputation for obsessing over clues until she solved the answer to perfection.  
  
Even now, as an appointed sage-nin, she felt that hunger for answers creeping up on her. It nearly drove her insane if she tried to ignore it. It was painful.  
  
She flopped onto her back, resting her hands on her stomach, her tingling senses absorbing every pulse of her blood and breath she released. Her jade eyes gazed placidly up at the dark clouds that slowly rolled over the land, the foretold rain approaching rapidly. Tora took a quick glance around, her wide eyes reflecting the little childish innocence left in her.  
  
With a content purr, she lifted her hands from her stomach and let them fall backwards around her head. This was her most vulnerable and favorite position, one that let her soul seem to run free yet endangered her very being. Nevertheless, it was one she savored, reviving a memory that had haunted her since childhood.  
  
Yet the sensation of freedom and the ability to stretch overwhelmed her every other whim, no matter how dire the consequences. If she had a choice, she would want to die like this.  
  
With a sigh, she let her head fall back, arching her neck to the dimming sunlight. Unwillingly, Itachi's mark of ownership opened again, spilling deep blood back down her neck.  
  
Like lightning, Tora sat up, crouching low in defense at the sudden outburst of chakra from nearby. As the throbbing energy subsided and disappeared, Tora eased back into a kneeling position, gently fingering the bloody gash.  
  
Sighing again, she stood up and washed the cut with water from the stream and headed back towards her designated home, hoping that Itachi wouldn't notice the scent of fresh blood from her wound.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Itachi sat at the kitchen table, resting his chin on his crossed hands. When Tora had left, he couldn't help but follow. It was a boring task to watch her go about her shopping, but her training seemed intense and held his attention. The extreme precision and care she took with her blades moved him silently, the dedication and memories glistening in her large, attractive eyes.  
  
In all honesty, something about her had held his attention for longer than that morning. Ever since he first saw her, a strange, sick fascination bound him to her. At times, his cruel desire and intrigue surfaced- such time had been when Kisame had been suggesting taking respite in this home, and his urges forced him to act on Tora. That cut he gave her was no normal cut, it was a new jutsu he and Orochimaru had been developing.  
  
The jutsu itself was like a form of Orochimaru's curse seal, though easier on the victim. Thirty-six hand katas needed to be performed in perfect order, but the attack itself only required a small portion of chakra. Yet everyone's chakra was different, and that made this spell all it was now. By transferring one's unique chakra signature into another, and trapping it in the correct veins and arteries, the caster could summon their chakra back- taking the victim with it. Itachi had transferred some of his energy signature into Tora, and now when he called. she came.  
  
It was a brilliant attack, and Itachi had mastered it more than Orochimaru. For the while, the serpent king would have to use his original curse seal to obtain his underlings.  
  
Itachi had only watched Tora bathe with slight interest, withholding his lustful feelings for some other day. As she was bathing, though, Itachi had sent a doppelganger- one of his least favorite jutsus- down to give her a towel. The paw print would confuse her a bit, maybe bringing her to the point of musing for a while.  
  
Itachi wanted nothing more than to see her break her cut open. Something about her blood stirred him, maybe it was the fact that his energy was now part of her blood- her very being. Whatever it was, though, it had excited him deeply to see his afflicted wound open and purge itself.  
  
He had not been able to suppress the blast of energy that had exited himself at that moment- the feeling of success was to great to subdue. He was forced to run away after that, otherwise Tora would have found him out.  
  
But Itachi's new jutsu had bound Tora to him. Now she was his puppet. and he was the puppet master.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter ten: Tora's newly arisen bloodlust drives her to unspeakable crimes. what ever will Itachi-sama say about this outburst of violence? 


	10. Truant

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult situations, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in later installments.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora silently chopped up bits of chicken for dinner, not daring to even glance at the silent teammate that sat at the dinner table, watching her intensely. Something almost like shame plagued her mind- the very fact that she had let herself reminisce and be vulnerable filled her with guilt. A sage-nin, no- a member of the Akatsuki terrorist group should not show weakness or emotion for even a moment, let alone allow themselves to be vulnerable to attack. It was shameful.  
  
"You are strangely quiet today, Tora-chan," Itachi mused aloud. He felt considerably more attracted to his teammate ever since he had inflicted his binding blood jutsu, even taking the time of day to watch her habits. "I wonder whatever is wrong."  
  
"I apologize if I have worried you, Itachi-sama," said Tora blankly, her words even lacking their usual life and honor. "I am preparing dinner for you and Kisame-sama at this time, it is expected to be ready in about an hour." Tora lifelessly turned her attention back to her meal; the knife in her hands rising and falling quickly and seamlessly as the meat beneath its blows was practically shredded.  
  
Tora suddenly, reflexes like lighting, swept her hand up to her shoulder, taking firm hold of the other hand that lingered over it. Itachi pallid fingers did not even brush her hair before she grabbed them and using that hold, Tora managed to twist the arm severely. With a low growl, she ducked and sent the teenage boy spinning over her, his weight crashing into the stove loudly and messily.  
  
Itachi hadn't seen any of that coming. Over the course of the past two days, he had come to realize that Tora would allow him to touch her out of respect. She had never acted against him. Now, suddenly, she had gone on the offensive, and he had paid dearly for it- a foot-long gash now ran deep down his back, product of a broken piece of stray metal from the broken stove. With a growl, he leapt up drew a kunai.  
  
Tora didn't know what had possessed her to attack her leader, the one she had followed so dutifully since her initiation into the Akatsuki. She sighed and surrendered, seeking forgiveness for her actions.  
  
Itachi, having already gone into his attack, sent a high kick into Tora's chin and swung around swiftly, delivering another blow to her stomach. The girl limply flew back, hitting the wall squarely and sliding to the floor. The delicate and fragile healing of the cut on her neck was again knocked loose. Itachi didn't wait, though; a blind rage that had made him the strongest of the Akatsuki took over him. He dashed over to Tora and grabbed her by the collar, hauling her featherweight body up and pinning her against the wall.  
  
"You attacked me," he hissed angrily, pulling her about two inches from the wall then forcefully slamming her back into it. Continuously, he slammed her back and forth, until suddenly one of her hands shot up and grabbed his wrist painfully tight. Sharp black nails dug into Itachi's white skin, drawing the faintest droplets of blood from his veins.  
  
"Put me down," she growled, her face still looking towards the floor, not giving Itachi any view of her eyes. So many painful memories had flooded her mind, Itachi's cruel punishment unwillingly pulling experiences Tora had hoped to forget from the blackest bowels of her mind.  
  
Evilly, her hand twisted Itachi's wrist, forcing him to release her. Immediately, she sent her foot flying upwards, hitting Itachi squarely in the chin, the material of her dark blue sandals scraping the skin as they struck. Itachi reeled back, watching in insane rage as Tora let herself slide to the floor. The kitchen table crashed to the floor with Tora as she fell. He took the opportunity, seeing only red as he went.  
  
His blows were painful and agonizing beyond all nightmares for Tora- her half-open eyes could only see blood as his kunai slashed at her throat once, twice, countless times as he brutally carved the symbol for 'puppet' into her flesh. Once he was finished, he smiled sickly and gently ran his fingers over the raw skin, holding his hand in front of his face as he watched the little drops of blood trickle down the crevices in his white skin.  
  
"A puppet does not attack its master," the boy said darkly and cruelly, walking out of the kitchen silently, leaving Tora's bloodied body lying where it had fallen. But the assailant stopped in his tracks when he heard a small voice singing.  
  
"Looking at the moon isn't quite the same. since the day you left." Tora whispered, her normally husky and strong voice now breathy and soft, though still beautiful. "You said you loved me and we laughed. I pray you won't forget." The song had a haunting melody to it, the quiet hush in the room growing deeper with every note Tora hit. Itachi, though he had never cared for lullabies and foolish rhymes, found himself wondering the story behind the girl's words. Suddenly Tora coughed, blood trickling from the edges of her mouth, and she let her words fall silent. Her lips moved, but the sound wouldn't come.  
  
Itachi silently passed by Kisame as the shark man walked to the kitchen, investigating the damage left by Tora and Itachi's fight. Their eyes met, and nothing was said between them. Itachi swept up the stairs to his bedroom.  
  
"Holy shit," Kisame muttered, stepping over the wreckage in the kitchen. Tora's body lay still in a heap on the floor, and Kisame knelt down to see if she was dead. He gently swept the tousled hair from her face, immediately wishing that he hadn't.  
  
He green eyes had turned almost black, still and unmoving in their sockets. Spattered blood from her neck and mouth dotted and dripped down her face in a twisting little dance, spoiling the perfect skin. Kisame scuttled backwards, the vast amount of blood on her neck assuring her death. Still, he had to take the body and bury it somewhere. He reached out to grab the girl's still arm, but instead felt his hand being slapped away and suddenly staring straight into Tora's darkened eyes, the color slowly draining back into them.  
  
"Damn it, I'm alive, Kisame-sama," Tora hissed, more blood dripping from her lips. "Don't bury me yet." Kisame stumbled back, a look of utter disgust etched onto his features. Tora smiled weakly and staggered up, looking herself over. "Shit, I have to clean up the kitchen and make dinner," she mumbled, unpinning her cloak and handing it to Kisame. "Help a poor girl out and put that in the laundry room, it needs to be washed." Kisame dumbly nodded and dashed out of the room, leaving the bleeding girl to her own devices.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter eleven: Tora's troubles just seem to deepen as she goes on a raging killing spree. 


	11. Terror

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora miraculously, within four hour's time, had managed to repair the kitchen completely, as well as bandage herself up and make dinner. Even her cloak had been washed. Kisame had, out of pity and awe, agreed to assist her in her chores, and ended up doing laundry. Tora had stashed a change of clothes in her ninja pack, and left Kisame to clean her old set of clothes. Blood had thoroughly soaked the pervious outfit.  
  
"Tora-sama, your clothes are drying," Kisame said through Tora's bedroom door. The door creaked open, and the girl slipped out, now wearing her backup change of clothes. Kisame's eyes lit up at the garment, and a grin pulled at his thin lips.  
  
"Oh, deal with it," Tora growled as she caught Kisame's lustful stare. A short black skirt with white slashes on the sides showed off Tora's long, thin, athletic legs, though she wore thigh-high leg warmers. A black halter top displayed her lean abdomen, and matching arm warmers graced her lithe arms. Her emerald necklace still hung between her breasts.  
  
Though her beauty could not hide her wounds. She had managed to reduce the damage to her throat considerably, but the thin cuts still read "puppet" clear enough. Her bottom lip had swollen decently, and tiny cuts and bruises lingered on her back. Her legs were only slightly damages, the slits in the skin hidden by her leg warmers. All things considered, though, she did a wonderful job of masking her loss.  
  
"I left dinner for you and Itachi on the counter in the kitchen. Feel free to eat whenever you wish," Tora said, waving a dismissive hand at Kisame.  
  
"What? Aren't you going to eat?" Kisame asked, dumbstruck.  
  
"You are thick, aren't you?" Tora purred fondly, running a long black nail across Kisame's cheek, tracing one of his gills. "I have business to attend to. I shouldn't be back tonight."  
  
"Very well, Tora-sama. I'll let Itachi know," Kisame said dutifully.  
  
"No need for that, Kisame-sama, he already knows," Tora replied vaguely, slipping off down the stairs and out the front door. Kisame watched her go from the window, wondering what she had meant by "he already knows".  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora silently slipped into the convenience store she had visited earlier, satisfied by what she saw. About seventeen people lingered in the aisles and behind to checkout registers. All eyes turned to her as she entered, a few gasps and whispers hanging in the air.  
  
"Now, now, no need for rumors. Everyone, I have something I want to ask you. Your answers will decide the fate of this pitiful little village of yours." Hesitantly, the people gathered around Tora, keeping a safe distance from the murderous-looking girl.  
  
"What do you want, girl?" asked one aging man, probably in his mid- sixties.  
  
"I want to ask you- what do you think of me and my companions? All I want is an honest answer. Give me a satisfactory enough answer, and we will leave in peace. Answer wrongly and you all will die," Tora said calmly. Glances were exchanged, the nervous people growing anxious. "Tell me now, what do you honestly think of us?"  
  
"Well, I think that you are respectable-looking youngsters, though odd," one woman, who looked to be about forty, said, stepping forward. "Isn't that right? This one here looks like a good, honest child." People around the circle nodded dumbly, murmuring assent and agreements.  
  
"You pitiful fools," growled Tora, lowering her eyes to the floor. "How foolishly you think that I believe your answers."  
  
"What? We were not lying, little one!" the woman shrieked angrily. "How dare you!"  
  
"Silence, woman. You have willingly sealed your village's doom," Tora hissed, reaching behind her and drawing eight kunai, one in between each finger. "You will all die now." With a single throw, the eight blades flew through the air, killing two apiece. The blade would strike the first person's neck on the side, just close enough to the center to severe the main artery, and slip through the rest of the muscle and enter the person standing behind them's neck. It was a simple and easy slaughter, neat and smooth, and the last remaining woman cowered on the floor.  
  
"What have you done?" screamed the woman, tears of fear streaking down her face. "Who are you!" Tora looked down at the cowering woman as pulled on the thin twine that the kunai in her hand were connected by. The string, the eight ends held perfectly in Tora's hand, sent the kunai flying back into Tora's grasp.  
  
"I only exist to kill now, fool, for my past and my future," answered Tora, listening to the woman's shortened scream as a kunai plunged into her head.  
  
Tora bent down, her kunai flashing madly as she hacked the body to pieces, blood flying through the air, staining the wooden floor and walls. The girl smiled as she reached into the disemboweled torso, her fingers disappearing into the severed muscles and reappearing with something clenched between them.  
  
"This is what I live for now," Tora whispered to herself, humming that same song as when she fought Itachi. The heart felt hot and juicy in her palms, but Tora looked beyond the organ in her hands, she looked somewhere deep in her mind as tears watered her eyes and she squeezed the heart. The girl squeezed, and the heart splattered in her hands, and Tora watched in grim fascination as the gore ran through her fingers and dripped to the floor. The sight of death surrounding her stirred her blood...  
  
It was killing time.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter twelve: Itachi's new puppet lost her cool, and the whole village is dead. But has anything changed in the household? 


	12. Turmoil

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Women screamed. Babies cried. Men stood tall, though their clenched teeth and fists shook with fear. Old women prayed. Destruction was upon them.  
  
Tora went from house to house, gruesomely slaughtering any inhabitants. Screams and curses rang through the darkening sky, and the streets ran red with blood. Fire illuminated the roads, every house visited by the young sage girl bursting into flames in her wake.  
  
Tora smiled grimly as she struck her fingers through a man's chest, her nails tickling his heart lightly before shredding the life-giving organ. With a final twitch and moan, the man fell limp and died, and Tora withdrew her hand, licking the blood away daintily.  
  
"How I forgot what the thrill of slaughter gave one!" Tora whispered insanely, her emerald eyes lit up with the fires of battle and insanity. The sight of large amounts of blood excited a force within her, and the urge would not die easily. When Itachi had punished her for her defiance, the smell and sight of her own blood had stirred that feeling. The unreachable itch in the back of her mind had been tickling her since that incident, and she had managed to control it until she left the house. Had she not controlled her urges, Kisame would have been dead by now. But the village was paying for her bloodlust.  
  
"Deliver us!" shrieked an old woman, holding up an intricate silver cross towards Tora as if trying to ward her away. Tora dropped the man's corpse from her grasp and walked calmly over to the woman., bending down before the cowering woman.  
  
"Deliver you from what, old one?" Tora asked softly, her hair hiding her eyes. "There is nothing to be delivered from. Pray tell me, what is it that you fear?"  
  
"I fear death!" rasped the old woman, her hands shaking as she held out the cross. "Lord in heaven, save me from this evil!"  
  
"What lord?" Tora growled, mirth overcoming the sadness in her previous tone. "There is nothing but empty sky above us, with no lord to command it. I would be excited is I were you, though, you are about to get the chance to prove me wrong!" Tora swiftly leapt up and did a midair flip, landing squarely on her knees across the woman's chest.  
  
"Deliv-" the woman began to shriek, but Tora's swift bite cut her words short. Her cruelly sharp teeth penetrated the flesh in the old hag's jugular veins, tearing the flesh to shreds. Tora stood up and licked the blood from her lips, watching as the spark of life in the woman's eyes drained out through the tear in her throat.  
  
"There is no one left," Tora said, looking around at the burning village. The last of the cries had died away into the smoke, and the only houses left standing was the one she was currently standing in and her own borrowed home. With a shrug, she swiftly performed her complex hand katas.  
  
"Renda Hi no Jutsu!" she cried, releasing a wall of flames into the house. Swiftly, she exited the burning home and headed back up to the only untouched house left in the village. With a contented sigh, she pushed open the door and sauntered into the kitchen, flopping down in a chair.  
  
"I hope you had fun," growled Kisame from the kitchen doorway. "The fire will burn the whole forest to the ground at this rate, you stupid bitch."  
  
"Now, now, Kisame-sama, that will not happen at all. The rain storm is fast approaching, and will extinguish the flames before any real damage is done. There is no reason to worry," Tora consoled, her voice smooth and sultry, though still holding massive amounts of malice and hunger. Kisame growled and turned away, exiting the room the way he came. Itachi appeared in Kisame's wake.  
  
"You can let it go now," he hissed softly.  
  
"Let go of what, Itachi-sama?" asked Tora innocently. Itachi whipped over to the table, grabbing Tora by the chin and holding her face close enough to his to feel each other's breath.  
  
"I can see it in your eyes. That little bloodlust of yours isn't gone yet. Let it go," Itachi instructed, staring straight into Tora's eyes with his Sharingans.  
  
"As you wish, Itachi-sama," Tora replied softly, partially closing her eyes. It was a noticeable transformation- her eyes, that had been alight with the painful desire for blood, now darkened to their usual hue. The insane glint faded away into the dark corners of her mind, and the itch in her brain was soothed. The visible tension in her body melted away. Itachi, being a supreme sage, could see her chakra flow around her body. The fiery orange chakra that had engulfed her earlier- the insane energy- seemed to wash away onto the floor. The familiar golden chakra now emanated softly from every pore of her body, assuring him of her normal state.  
  
"Thanks," he muttered with a smirk, sitting down at the table in his usual chair.  
  
"I'm going to bed," Tora muttered with a half-yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow." Tora waved a hand lightly over her shoulder as she disappeared out of the room and up the stairs.  
  
"I am beginning to like my new doll," Itachi murmured as the lingering smell of blood wafting from Tora's clothes slowly drained away into the air.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter twelve: Tora doesn't like the rain, and being cooped up is threatening to drive her mad. What's a girl to do? 


	13. Taste

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora stared blankly up at the drab ceiling as she lay atop her bed. Rain pelted mercilessly on the roof and against the windows, and the only sound that dominated that rain was the peals of thunder.  
  
Tora was never able to sleep during rainstorms. The mere thought of water pelting at her from all sides was enough to make her nervous and lose her appetite. Since birth, she had always hated water. Baths were some of her worst memories.  
  
But the baths were paled in comparison by some of her other memories...  
  
No, she mustn't think of such things. She had moved on by now, and left all of that foolish drudgery behind. With a sigh, Tora rolled over on her side, forcing her tired green eyes shut stubbornly. There was no point in reminiscing.  
  
The rain had started as a gentle spray, and slowly grown into this goddamned downpour. Thunder rolled across the sky after its partner, lightning. Howling wind rattled the windows of the house. The weather was at its worst for Tora.  
  
"I will do something else until I tire," Tora said resolutely, pouncing up from bed and, not bothering to don her Akatsuki cloak, opened her bedroom door and headed downstairs.  
  
"You are awake, Tora," Itachi said as he sat in the kitchen. That was where he dwelled when he was awake, his reasons his own and not to share.  
  
"I cannot sleep well during such rain, Itachi-sama," Tora said politely, pouring water from the faucet into a kettle and turning the stove on, heating the water.  
  
"I wonder why...?" Itachi asked, probing deeper into Tora's mind.  
  
"Rain has always made me sleepless," Tora replied sourly, a hint of aggravation creeping into her tone. She quickly masked it with her honey sweetness. "I did not mean to sound irritated, Itachi-sama," she lied quickly. "Please pardon my rudeness." Tora stared straight at the man who sat behind her. Something about him captivated her. His pale, smooth skin; his glowing Sharingans, the lashing ebony waves of hair; the gentle slope in his slightly bent, lithe fingers. He entranced her, but she had become a master of shoving aside emotions- or so she hoped.  
  
"Hm," Itachi muttered simply, resting his chin on his crossed fingers, propping his head up. He stared straight back at Tora, sending barely visible shivers down her spine. Something about the girl captivated him still, perhaps his chakra in her blood bound him to her as well. When he looked into those big green eyes, he saw something other than a fiery, strong girl- there was sadness, hatred, loneliness, and. dare he admit it?. love. There was a spark of affection in those emerald orbs.  
  
Tora turned away from Itachi, shutting off the stove and forming several simple hand katas, blowing a small jet of flame underneath the kettle. Immediately, steam whistled from the spout, and Tora poured a small cup of the bitter liquid and leaned against the counter as she sipped. Green tea was so soothing in troubled times.  
  
"What are you hiding from me?" asked Itachi suddenly, startling Tora. She blinked confusedly twice, then answered carefully.  
  
"I hide many things, Itachi-sama, though there is nothing that would concern yourself," she replied calmly. "There is no reason for you to bother yourself listening to my menial worries."  
  
Itachi moved like lightning, zooming across the kitchen and closing the gap between them. Tora swiftly put up her arms to defend herself. The teacup shattered on the floor, sending droplets of tea splattering onto her leg and across the floor. What had she done now...? Why was he going to punish her now? She felt her wrists being torn away from her face, and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the blows. Several seconds passed, and she opened her eyes in shock when no blows fell upon her.  
  
Itachi's face was a hairsbreadth away from hers, his pallid hands holding her wrist on either side of her head. He stared deep into her eyes, his Sharingans seeming to pry into hers.  
  
"What is it that you wish of me, Itachi-sama?" asked Tora calmly, believing this to be one of his little games. Just like when she had supported Kisame's idea to stop and rest in this village, and when she had first insinuated of him being embarrassed, this was just another violent urge of his.  
  
"I want so much of you, Tora," he whispered harshly. "But I will start with two things- why do you not have a forehead protector? Where did you come from?" Itachi hissed. Tora noticed how he pressed his body against hers, and how tightly he held her wrists. This was no time to argue.  
  
"I did not come from a ninja village," she replied, her eyes pleading truth. Itachi smirked. "I do not lie, Itachi-sama. I just do not wish to discuss my past right now. I will explain some other time." Itachi's smirk disappeared rapidly. "What else did you want?"  
  
"I did not ask what you wanted or did not want, but I will excuse your rudeness today." Tora felt her heart rise. "But the next thing I want is... this." Itachi stated calmly, bringing his lips across the gap between his face and hers. His nearly lipless mouth engulfed Tora's in a cold, passionate kiss.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter fourteen: What is this new flame between Itachi and Tora? Just another thrill? 


	14. Tornado

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Itachi's lips moved softly against Tora's as the kiss was returned. Her full, dark lips moved rhythmically against Itachi's thin, cold ones, warming the kiss with her warm breath. Something unfulfilled and greedy dwelled in the atmosphere as the two teenagers silently and passionately went at each other.  
  
Tora's eyes slipped closed as Itachi's tongue flicked across her lips. She parted them slightly granting him access to deepen the kiss. The deepened kiss lasted a moment before Itachi's pulled his lips away from Tora's dragging them down to her jaw line and planting little kisses all along it. He lowered his tight grip on her wrists, drawing his hands down her sides and resting them on the counter, pressing her tightly between the edge of the marble counter and himself.  
  
His lips traced down to her neck, nibbling the skin lightly between kisses. His tongue traced the deep "puppet" mark, drawing a gasp from Tora's lips. He was holding himself back dramatically and forcefully. If he didn't, who knows what would happen.  
  
"Ahh," Tora hissed in pain. "Itachi-sama, please stop..." she whispered softly, pain in her voice. Itachi sourly withdrew his lips from her neck, annoyance written on his features as he grabbed her wrists again and held her hands down on the counter. He glared down at her, a frown on his face.  
  
"What?" he asked icily, his potential pleasure interrupted.  
  
"It hurts so much," whined Tora softly, small tears slowly forming in the corners of her eyes. She squirmed uncomfortably in his grasp, trying to move away from the counter. "When you got angry with me and threw me against the wall, I bruised. The counter is making it far worse than before," Tora continued, turning her head away from Itachi. "I'm sorry."  
  
Itachi frowned and backed away from Tora, releasing her from his grasp. Gratefully, she slid to the floor on her hands and knees. Itachi saw it now- the dark purple and blue mark the size of an apple across Tora's lower spine. Only then did he notice how much damage he had caused her. Before, his blind desire had hidden her, but now he saw the pain she was in. The cuts on his arms were partially obscured by her arm warmers, and that was the same case with her legs.  
  
"I apologize, Itachi-sama," Tora gasped, gently running a hand over the bruise, wincing.  
  
"I should apologize," Itachi replied, and Tora looked up in disbelief. Itachi loomed over her, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression. "I have injured you."  
  
"Do not apologize, Itachi-sama," Tora said, rising to her feet. Itachi's anger at being told an order showed on his face, and Tora quickly made a save. "The master should not apologize to the puppet." Itachi only stared as Tora smiled weakly and grabbed a rag from the counter and went to clean up the shattered teacup and its contents. With a slightly frustrated sigh, he sat back down and watched Tora clean.  
  
"I will see you later, Itachi-sama. I am going to take a shower, then read in my room. Let me know if there is anything I can cook for you," Tora said with another empty smile as she disappeared out of the kitchen and up the stairs.  
  
How was it she was making him feel? Itachi wondered silently. Sure, he had let his deep-throated lust take over for moment today, but there was something else behind that. It would never be true love, sure, but there was a slight adoration behind his cold Sharingan eyes. Her easygoing, polite manners and teasing eyes drove him.  
  
Tora sighed as she stripped herself of her clothes, folding them neatly and placing them on a shelf. Silently, she unbound her hair from its tight braid, shaking her head to loosen her hair. She looked in the mirror.  
  
A blank, emotionless face stared back at her. Tousled hair frames the tanned face and thickly-lashed green eyes. Tora sighed again and performed several complex hand katas.  
  
"Jisei no Jutsu," she murmured, and the face inside the mirror. The blank, emotionless face that had stared out at Tora moment ago now smiled softly, a motherly comfort coming to the jade eyes.  
  
"Tora, you are sad again," the reflection said with a small smile. Tora only nodded. "But I suppose that is why you need me."  
  
"Yes, that is why mother taught me to use you," Tora replied with a bitter little laugh.  
  
"She made me so that you would never be truly alone again," the reflection sighed. "She knew that she wouldn't be around long enough..."  
  
:But that is why have you- the me within me," the living Tora whispered.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter fifteen: What is this strange jutsu? 


	15. Tremor

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The reflection stared out at its living counterpart, her expression one of sorrow and devotion.  
  
"I need you, Ren," Tora whispered, little tears dripping down her cheeks as she just stared at the identical face in the mirror. "It is hurting again." The face in the mirror softened into one of sisterly love, the eyes alight with care. Slowly, the reflection reached towards Tora.  
  
"I know that it hurts, Tora," murmured the reflection comfortingly, the hand extending outwards from the mirror.  
  
Gently, the pale tan hand rested on Tora's cheek. The softly weeping girl looked up at her living reflection, tears shimmering in her eyes.  
  
"I need you back, Ren," Tora sobbed. "I don't want to be alone anymore."  
  
"Hush, now, Tora. You are not alone anymore," the reflection muttered soothingly as she stroked Tora's cheek. "You are not alone anymore."  
  
"What? There is no one here for me," Tora whispered, gently placing a hand over her bare chest, towards her heart. "There is no one here like me, I am still alone."  
  
"No, Tora- there is someone in this house with you who loves you," the reflection lectured gently, and leaned forwards towards Tora. "But I need to leave you now, the jutsu is failing."  
  
"I will summon you again when I am strong, Ren," Tora cried softly. Ren's ghostly hand reached out from the mirror and lifted Tora's chin so that their eyes met.  
  
"You must go on without me, Tora-chan," the reflection instructed.  
  
"I can't......... you are my sister, the only thing I have left," Tora pleaded. Silently, the figure in the mirror leaned forward, out of the glass.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Itachi had heard an unfamiliar voice in the bathroom. Naturally, if there was a chance of a fight, he would leap on it. But when he had heard Tora's soft weeping and crying, he had not taken another step out of hope for violence. His whole intention for spying became to find out what was making his puppet weep. He was the only one aloud to do that!  
  
He had cracked the bathroom door open the slightest bit, using such juvenile means to discover Tora's visitor. But he had been shocked at what he saw.  
  
After getting over the shock of seeing Tora's nubile, supple naked body, he had noticed how she seemed to be talking to the mirror. What was even more surprising was that the mirror was talking back in calming, soft tones. He had listened to Tora's pleas for this 'Ren' character, her soft cries, and the consoling responses the mirror spat back at Tora.  
  
Now he was almost frightened. A ghostly tan arm, matching Tora's skin tone exactly, reached forward from the mirror and rested on Tora's cheek as she cried. There had been more conversation, and the hand had moved down to Tora's chin, forcing the girl to look at the supposed reflection.  
  
But now Itachi was amazed. A girl almost identical to Tora, only with shorter red hair and white feathered angel wings drifted out of the mirror. This girl had the same jade-hued eyes as Tora, the gently arcing cheekbones, the same thick fire hair- only cut shorter, up to the shoulders. Tora's weeping had subsided as the nude angel appeared, bringing both hands up to cup Tora's cheeks. Gently, the angel closed her eyes and pulled herself over to Tora, her body drifting in midair as she softly placed her lips over Tora's.  
  
All was silent for several seconds before the angel smiled softly and lifted her lips from Tora's and shrank back into the mirror, her hands lingering on Tora's cheeks before being pulled away into the reflection.  
  
"No," Tora weeped softly, hugging her arms and sinking to the floor. Itachi withdrew from the door, declining from his previous intentions of questioning the girl. Something deep and painful had gone into that kiss, and it was not his place to intrude. One's past was not something to ask someone unwillingly.  
  
"Itachi-sama, I know you are there," Tora called softly from the wooden floor of the bathroom. "You did not suppress your charka enough." Tora turned her tear-stained face to him. "How much did you see?"  
  
"Of you or of what just happened? Everything," Itachi replied, rising from his crouched position. Tora chuckled heartlessly.  
  
"Then I have nothing left to hide," she laughed mirthlessly. "I hope that I did not disappoint you too much with my weakness," Tora continued, signaling to the tears of sorrow that had not dried on her skin yet.  
  
"No, my opinion of you has not changed, Tora," Itachi muttered. "But my amount of interest has." The last sentence was said quietly enough so that only the speaker heard it as he closed the bathroom door and went back downstairs.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter sixteen: Things are definitely different between Tora and Itachi, but what about Kisame? 


	16. Tora

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora climbed down the stairs after her short but satisfying bath. One hand held her folded clothes, while the other held up the towel she had wrapped around her.  
  
Despite her hatred for water, the bath had been soothing. After summoning the ghost of her twin sister, Ren, through her reflection, a deep sorrow had lodged itself within her. Yet, after ten minutes of soaking the steamy, salted, scented water, she had dislodged it and let is disintegrate into the water. It was calming and rejuvenating, and thus Tora felt more comfortable and cheery.  
  
"Good after noon, Itachi-sama," Tora greeted her superior politely as she passed through the kitchen on her way to the laundry room, which was inconveniently located on the opposite end of the house. She made sure that her bare feet made no sound on the floor, in hopes of not causing any annoyance to Itachi.  
  
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Itachi asked coldly, standing in her path and glaring down at her. "Why are there angels coming out of the mirror?"  
  
"That concerns my past, nothing more, Itachi-sama. I'm sure that you would not care about my past," Tora replied politely. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to put my clothes in the wash-"  
  
"You are not excused until you tell me what is going on," Itachi growled. Tora was taken aback, afraid and flattered that Itachi wanted to know more about her.  
  
"I am afraid that I do not feel comfortable talking about such things, with all due respect Itachi-sama," Tora replied again, her tone dropping to an icy level. "Now, I would greatly appreciate it if you kindly removed yourself from my path, as I have laundry to clean."  
  
Itachi caught the fierce glint in her eyes, and let her pass.  
  
"Thank you, Itachi-sama," Tora said as she passed by, disappearing into the laundry room.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora reappeared a moment later, wearing a silk black kimono she had found in the laundry room. It was a tad too large, but it would suffice for the time being. With a sigh, she began to waltz through the kitchen again, aiming to return to he room. But, she knew deep within her, it would not be so simple as it sounded.  
  
Immediately as she entered the kitchen, Itachi grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall, pinning her there. One arm pinned her to the wooden boards by being roughly pressed across her chest, the other hand grabbed her by the chin and made Tora look straight into Itachi's cold Sharingan eyes.  
  
"Tell me about it," he demanded. His cool breath grazed Tora's face, making her shiver unwillingly.  
  
"Fine then, Itachi-sama, if it pleases you," Tora said, giving in finally. Her fierce gaze softened as the memories flooded into her mind, and towards her mouth. "I was not raised in a ninja village. I belonged to a town in the Wind Country, just north of the border between the Earth and Wind countries.  
  
"I had a mother, a father, an older brother named Tatsuya, and a twin sister named Ren. My mother was a soft spoken, gently woman, while my father was loud and rude. Tatsuya dreamed of becoming a ninja for the Village Hidden in the Sand. Ren and I were both content with living our lives as normal people.  
  
"But my brother, one day when Ren and I were six, ran off north to the Sand Village to ask to become a ninja. We never saw him again after that, but Ren and I both knew that he was dead. It was a feeling in our hearts that told us of his death. A half year after that, my father just walked away from the village. We never saw him again, either.  
  
"Then my mother fell ill. Knowing that she was dying, she had Ren and I engaged to sons of a local lord. We were both seven, they were twenty and seventeen. It was an arrangement doomed to failure, but my mother wanted the best for both of us after she died. But when she did die when we were eight, things only got wor-"  
  
"Itachi-sama, are you beating Tora-sama up again?" Kisame interjected as he sauntered into the kitchen carelessly. Itachi turned his hateful glare to his male partner, who had just interrupted Tora's story. Tora's gaze hardened into an icy glare at Kisame's interruption.  
  
Kisame grabbed a bottle of milk from the refrigerator and muttered some other comments before disappearing back upstairs. Tora and Itachi both exchanged knowing glances as the boy lowered Tora to the ground, releasing her.  
  
They had to get rid of Kisame. Otherwise, nothing- and they knew nothing of any sort- would get accomplished here.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In chapter seventeen: Kisame is being sent away, and now Tora and Itachi are free to do whatever they wish with themselves. 


	17. Tales

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The rain fell heavily on the wooden tile roof, clamoring noisily as it traveled its path down the carved grooves and dripped off the edges of the roof. Golden brown leaves flew haphazardly in the violent winds, tossing and turning in their vicious path. Thunder rolled through the deep gray clouds, and shards of lightning littered the sky, illuminating the wreckage of the poor village.  
  
As Tora had said, the heavy rain had forced the flames to diminish to smoldering embers and ash. Skeletons of once-tall buildings stood weakly against the wind, flying branches and gusts of wind having knocked down most of the remaining wreckage. The village-square was now just a pile of wet, ugly ash.  
  
Tora sat on her bed, her legs crossed in front of her in a complex position and her hands held on her lap, her fingers falling into a perfect meditation formation. Her eyelids had long since slid down over her emerald pupils, the lashes gently tickling the top of her cheekbones. Her hair had dried into thick fiery waves that cascaded down her back like a molten waterfall, the ends of the strands pooling around the base of her back and over the thin sheets of the bed. Her breaths fell in perfect, silent spaces as she poised herself perfectly, her mind in the deep recesses of meditation. None of nature's violent cries and attacks seemed to reach her.  
  
"Tora," Itachi announced as silently slipped into Tora's room and closed the door behind him. "Kisame is-"  
  
"Kisame-sama has left the house, going out to search for anything valuable amongst the village remnants," Tora interjected quietly, her soft husky voice finishing Itachi's statement. "I will tell you of my past now, as no one else if here to interrupt me."  
  
Itachi scowled at her cleverness and ability to see through his intentions, and leaned against her dresser, his arms folded beneath his cloak.  
  
"First, Itachi-sama, I have two questions for you," Tora stated, not faltering in her perfect meditation. "I would prefer it if you did not berate me for my curiosity, either. As a fellow sage-nin, I would very much appreciate it if you treated my with a shred of respect, and not injure me at a whim." Itachi was silent for several seconds.  
  
"Very well," he hissed icily. "I will answer your questions, but you are still mine. As long as that cut on your neck still bleeds, Tora, know that you are mine." In the space of a second, Itachi had swept down and run his fingers down the symbol for 'puppet', carved on Tora's throat, and opened the wound once again. Thick blood dripped down his fingers as he gently caressed the mark, and only when his fingers left the injury did Tora's eyelids flicker in the slightest.  
  
"As you wish, Itachi-sama. I will tell you of my past now." Tora silently slid her eyes open, unfolding her legs and letting them dangle over the edge of the bed. She let her body flop backwards on the bed, resting her hands over her stomach as she began to recall her past again.  
  
"As I had said, I was engaged to the son of a local lord. Once my mother died, I moved into his home. My fiancé's name was Toshio, and my sister's fiancé was Taro. Their house was big, but lonely, as the master of the house was on frequent business trips.  
  
"Toshio was a great, tall man, with spiky blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He had a terrible temper and an evil personality, and was constantly getting into trouble with local authorities.  
  
"At one point, he had offended the cook to the pint of having the cook quit, so I was put to the job of cooking. I was all right with that, though I was only eight, and I had hoped that maybe I could get close to Toshio so that he would be kinder to me. I was wrong. One days when he came home from work in a bad temper, he would take his anger out on me if I even did the slightest thing wrong. He would swear at me, throw things at me, and hit me. Since I was not raised like a ninja cadet would be, as you were," Tora said, pausing to motion to Itachi, "I could not defend myself. I would only plead for him to stop.  
  
"Ren was in the same boat as I. Taro was a cruel and sadistic man as well, though on a more perverse plane than my Toshio. She would sit in the garden all day, either reading a book or just staring at the flowers. She was not the sister I used to have, her spirit had died inside.  
  
"One night, Taro came home in the foulest mood Ren and I had ever seen. Consequently, he hit Ren and hurt her very badly. He would not let me take her to a doctor, though she was bleeding a sever amount from her nose and leg, where she had landed on a glass table where he had thrown her."  
  
"Tora, what is the point of this? I didn't come here to listen about your fiancé and his habits, or your sister's," Itachi growled moodily.  
  
"Itachi-sama, please excuse me for my longwinded story, but there are psychological issues being inflicted here that are essential to my story," Tora replied apologetically.  
  
"That night, Ren was raped and beaten continuously. Toshio wouldn't let me try to help her, every time I even looked towards Ren's room he would hit me. I had no choice. The next day, when Taro and Toshio had left, I went to see Ren. She hadn't left her room since the previous night.  
  
"She was in terrible shape. Taro had sliced her lovely long hair to a plain shoulder length. The forsaken strands littered the room. Ren was lying in her bed, covered only by her sheets, not even bothering to move. She just stared out of her window.  
  
"I tried talking to her, but she wouldn't look at me or speak. She moved her lips, but no sound came out. So I left her there when I went to make her some food and get her clean clothes.  
  
"When I came back, she was dead. She was still lying in the same position as when I had left, but now she didn't breathe or see as she looked out the window.  
  
"That was when a lesson that my mother had taught me clicked in my mind. At the time, I thought that the strange words and hand formations she had taught me were just a game, but in truth it was a powerful jutsu that can summon one's soul into a mirror.  
  
"Itachi-sama, that angel you saw was my sister, the angel I had summoned," Tora said with a sad little smile. Itachi's eyes widened slightly in wonderment and apprehension at the continuation of the story. This was getting interesting. 


	18. Trials

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Go on, how did you become a ninja?" Itachi prodded.  
  
"After my sister died, Taro himself seemed to just get worse. He became a drunkard, and he and Toshio would stay up late making lots of noise and doing foolish things. I managed to elude them, so that I did not end up like Ren.  
  
"One day, I was visiting the local wishing well to make my monthly wish, when I found a man inside the well. He was swimming in the water, and I found him only after I flung my coin in. I was suspicious when my coin didn't make a splash in the water. The man had caught it in his teeth, and was grinning devilishly up at me when I saw him.  
  
"I helped him out of the well and offered to wash his clothes at my house, as he was soaking wet and looked hungry. Toshio and Taro were off at work, so I had the house basically to myself. The man said that his name was Jiraiya. He had a strange forehead protector made of bone with the symbol for 'oil' painted on it. His hair was wild and white, and he wore red. He was very outlandish, and I received many strange glances as I returned home.  
  
"Itachi looked distinctly pissed at the mention of the name 'Jiraiya', but kept his mouth shut.  
  
"He took a nice hot bath while I washed his clothes. He looked only about thirty years old, but I knew that he was older than that. I gladly cooked a large meal for him, as he had a huge appetite. He was a very entertaining person, and made me laugh a lot that day. Hence, he was good company and I invited him to stay for a few days. I was secure in my beliefs that I could hide him from Toshio, who hated visitors."  
  
"Everything went vaguely smooth for the first two days, and Toshio didn't suspect a thing. Even the cleaning lady was smart enough to keep her mouth shut about Jiraiya. But everything was shot when Toshio came home angry again.  
  
"Toshio yelled at me on the third day, and started to hit me and throw me against the wall. I was sure at one pint that I was going to die, but suddenly Jiraiya appeared from his room and ripped me away from Toshio, holding me carefully in one arm while punching and punishing Toshio with the other. It was a mess.  
  
"Toshio was beaten soundly, and was too weak to argue when Jiraiya announced that he would be staying at our home until I was strong enough to defend myself from Toshio. When I asked him why he cared, he said that I was the best cook he had ever sampled from and didn't want my talent to go to waste on 'trash like Toshio and Taro'.  
  
"So Jiraiya stayed. Toshio would only yell at me after that, and every time he raised a hand at me in anger, Jiraiya would show up and just glare at Toshio. Something about his eyes frightened Taro and Toshio, and he used that to his advantage. But Jiraiya, as much as I wanted to know about him, was a mystery. He would disappear into the forest near the house for hours at a time.  
  
"One day, it was raining and I was worried about him being all alone in the woods. I was able to follow his trail, using some previously useless knowledge I had obtained, and found him in a clearing. It was amazing. The way that he moved, as smooth as water and strong as fire, amazed me. So I hid, but it was no good. Somehow, he knew that I was there.  
  
"I asked him how he knew how to move like that, and that was when I learned about the Hidden Ninja Villages. I was amazed, and asked Jiraiya if he could teach me to be a ninja. It took a humiliating amount of begging, but after I threatened never to cook for him again, he gave in and let me become his pupil.  
  
"So every day, when Taro and Toshio were away at work, we would train. The first week was the worst, my body not used to such exertion. But after about a month, I was improving at a rapid pace. Though Jiraiya had spoken of the four or five different levels of ninja ability, we never measured each other. I never took a Chuunin Exam, or a Jounin Exam, we just rated each other by our performances.  
  
"During the five years as Jiraiyas's pupil, I learned more about him than I ever thought possible. He, though he hated to admit it, was about forty-five years old. He loved money, alcohol, and women, and was an outlandish pervert and gambler. At nights, when I would bring him a snack in his room, I would find him drawing filthy pictures for his 'super perverted series', adequately dubbed "Icha Icha Paradise". Despite all of his flaws, I loved him as a friend and a sensei.  
  
"I only learned how strong I was when, one day, I beat Jiraiya in combat. I was absolutely enraged when he had suggested that I model for his series, though I knew that he was joking. I was thirteen at the time. He was as shocked as I was, and after I beat him, we both just stared at each other for a while. If you were to walk by our sparring grounds, you would have seen a man with wild white hair lying on his back on the ground with a girl in ripped clothing with mussed-up hair standing over him, a blade to his throat.  
  
"His eyes were filled with something that I couldn't read, the only emotions that I could decipher were the slightest hints of pride and sorrow. I let him up, and he just smiled and turned away from me. He just walked away. I ran after him, asking where he was going. He only said that I was big enough to fend for myself, and that was it. he just walked away from me, and I have never seen him since.  
  
"I was quite distressed when I went home, and was even more distressed to find Toshio already home. I went to the kitchen to cook for him, but he came up behind me and remarked about how tired I looked today. I ignored him, but grew angered when he started suggesting that Jiraiya and I had done more than just training, and that I was getting old enough to start bearing children. Toshio tried to rape me, but I killed him. Without any regret or second thought, I tore his throat out.  
  
"That was when I realized how good killing felt. It was a new rush, hearing a pitiful scream and the warm feeling of blood on your skin. Maybe I was in too much distress over the lose of a teacher, or maybe the years of sorrow that had built up inside me were finally spilling out. That night, I killed Toshio and Taro, and ran away from the village.  
  
"After I left, I fled to the forests and lived off the land. It was a pretty easy living, though I always made sure that I was far away from people. One day, I was exploring and came upon a village. It was called the Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I hid in the shadows for weeks, just watching how real ninjas trained and lived. It amazed me.  
  
"One day, I let my guard down foolishly and a jounin found me. He tried to take me somewhere, to see some man named 'Hokage'. I, naturally, fought back.. I beat the man rather easily, and before I killed him, he said that I was even stronger than a jounin. I put Jiraiya's teachings and his words together- the only level above jounin was sage. Thus, here I am now, after Orochimaru found me and fought me, suggesting that I join the Akatsuki.  
  
"That is my story, Itachi-sama," Tora sighed as she lay back on her bed. "The entirety and truth." 


	19. Trap

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"You probably didn't really, care about my past, Itachi-sama," Tora said with a sad smile, "but it felt great to let it out. I'm sorry for putting you through such sentimental drivel, Itachi-sama, but I suppose that I needed that." Tora, who had been lying on her back on her bed with her hands crossed neatly over her stomach, used one arm to prop up her head and look at Itachi with dry, limpid emerald eyes. "When I talk to Ren, she tries to make me talk about my past with someone, and you are the first. I'm sure that she is happy about that, and... Oh, I apologize, Itachi-sama, I know that you are not a man of words, please excuse my excessive speaking." Tora smiled wanly and sighed, closing her eyes again.  
  
"It was an interesting story," Itachi said dryly, his gaze intent and piercing as his Sharingans fixated on Tora. "You are excused for your sentimental side notes." Several seconds passed, Tora gently resting and Itachi studying her intently.  
  
"You haven't left yet, Itachi-sama, perhaps you have a question?" Tora asked, opening one eye slightly and looking at Itachi.  
  
"No," Itachi said acidly, just leaning against the dresser. Tora shrugged and closed her eye again, just relaxing for the first time in a few days.  
  
Itachi sighed inwardly. His fascination with Tora had only grown... and not because of the part of him that lay in her blood. Something more intrigued him, nagging him to the point of insanity. Something about her made him itch, and it was an itch he had yet to scratch. For the first time in years, he was perplexed and vexed.  
  
"Itachi-sama," Tora said quietly. Itachi was so involved with his thoughts that he had not noticed her shifting of positions- now she lay on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and crossing her legs girly fashion. Itachi had almost forgotten that she was a female, and thus held the penchant to be like that. Tora ran a finger along the large split in the mattress where Kisame's sword had struck several days back. "What are you thinking of? You don't seem yourself."  
  
"Don't ask stupid questions," Itachi scorned angrily before disappearing out of the room. "I am going to bed, don't wait up for Kisame- he'll be out for a few more hours still." Itachi left the room, walking down the hall to his room.  
  
"You are so dense..." Tora whispered to herself with a little smirk of annoyance. "You may be a cold bastard with out a heart or conscience, but I really like you." Tora smiled to herself and flipped herself back onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "You are clever, sly, icy cold... my exact opposite, but, still..." Tora smiled. "It is a shame that you hurt me, that kiss could have really started something."  
  
With a sigh after about fifteen minutes, Tora lifted herself from her bed and went down to the kitchen. She would make a healing remedy for herself, then go and water the potted flowers around the house. Just because she was a sage didn't mean that she was above everyday chores.  
  
Tora smiled as she ground some herbs in her hand and dropped them into the pot of hot water, stirring the ingredients together and adding herbs as necessary until the water was a satisfying brown hue. Then she poured it into a little ceramic cup and blew the steam away, taking a sip.  
  
"How quaint this all seems, how ordinary and unreal," Tora whispered happily as she leaned on the counter, looking out the window at the pouring rain. "It is like the little stories Momma used to tell me about, with the man and his woman living in a nice house out in the middle of a village. The girl would take care of the house and only hope for affection in return. How similar, yet dissimilar this situation is." Tora set down her cup and took out a watering can from a high cabinet. Silently, she filled the plastic container with water and headed upstairs, where the flowers sat waiting in their pots.  
  
Humming softly as she went from bedroom to bedroom to bathroom to bedroom, Tora dutifully nurtured the withering plants. In Kisame's room, all done up in gray, she even bent down to the dying blossom and performed a hand kata, reaching out and gently touching the faded blue petals. Instantly, the plant seemed to sputter back to life and radiated health.  
  
"Kisame-sama needs to see something cheerful every now and then," she said with a smile as she went to the next room.  
  
Tora had purposely left Itachi's room for last, in hopes of not even entering. Lord knows how enraged he would be at her invading his personal space as he slept, or rested, or whatever he did in there. Yet her devotion to the little plants rejuvenated her determination and confidence, and she tiptoed to his closed door.  
  
The chakra emanating from behind the wooden door was subdued and controlled, confirming that Itachi was asleep. Tora smiled to herself and suppressed her chakra as well, in hopes of not waking him. Sages needed to be alert, even in sleep. After hiding her chakra considerably, she crept into the room.  
  
This was the only room in the house that was in decent condition. The curtain, rug, and bed sheets were all red velvet, lined with golden tassels and fringe. The walls were a dark brown wood, giving the whole room a dark, sleepy atmosphere. Tora silently snuck in, noting how Itachi slept so peacefully, his back to her and covers hiding his body up to his forehead.  
  
Tora suppressed the urge to straighten his covers, to caress his face, to whisper little love songs in his ear, and focused on the suffering blood-crimson blossom near the window. She carefully performed her little life-giving jutsu on the ailing plant, and smiled contentedly as it perked back up. Itachi would be pleased with her. She stood back up and began walking out of the room, but stopped as she realized that she had forgotten her watering can. How foolish of her.  
  
Tora reached out to the tool, but a pallid hand shot out from underneath the crimson velvet covers of the bed and clasped her wrist tightly. 


	20. Toned

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora gasped slightly as the iron grip on her wrist jerked her off her feet to the floor, pulling her towards Itachi. The tight grip pulled her along the rug until her head hit the side of Itachi's bed, then jerked her arm upwards. Tora was face-to-face with Itachi, his Sharingan eyes boring into her jade orbs.  
  
"Itachi-sama, I apologize for waking you!" Tora cried apologetically, panicking at the look on the teenager's face. "I only came to-"  
  
"I know, you came to take care of the plants, Tora. But do me a favor, neh?" Itachi hissed coldly in Tora's face.  
  
"Of course, Itachi-sama! Anything," Tora promised hastily, pleased that she was getting away so easily. Her code of honor would not let her fight her beloved and superior.  
  
"Just shut up for a while," Itachi instructed cruelly, pulling Tora's wrist so that she once again lost her balance and fell atop him, clumsily strewn over the covers. Itachi chuckled dryly and grabbed both of Tora's wrists, shaking the velvet covers off him and holding Tora's body to his. The girl's eyes widened as she found herself in such an awkward position.  
  
"Itachi-sama, please let go! I am not fully healed, you are hurting me!" Tora was lying and she knew it, but if it would keep Itachi at bay...  
  
"Don't lie to me, I smelled that tea you made, and I know that recipe. It's famous for its miraculous healing powers," Itachi whispered in Tora's ear slyly. "Now you can't avoid me."  
  
"Itachi-sama!" Tora pleaded, squirming.  
  
"You promised that you would shut up, now do it!" Itachi hissed in annoyance, shoving his lips to hers. Tora's eyes almost instantly closed and her struggles ceased. This feeling of passion pleased her, and to kiss Itachi so perfectly was all she really wanted. Maybe she would find out how he really felt about her through that kiss. Hopefully, she returned his advances, snaking her lips across his.  
  
Itachi smirked in the kiss and lifted Tora's wrists, which were still in his cruel grasp, and pulled her hands up closer to him. Carefully, he released her tan skin, placing her hands on his chest. Tora, occupied by his lips, let her hands rest there, and Itachi inwardly smiled. He brought his own hands up to her face, the pale white skin tone clashing with her exotic colors. He brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face tenderly, forcefully controlling himself. Women would run away if you were too rough.  
  
"You are mine," Itachi hissed as he lowered his mouth from her lips to her jaw line, tracing the jaw bone hastily as he traced a path to her neck. Tora gasped slightly as his lips parted the healing skin on her neck, letting the thick blood fall again. His tongue flickered out, dabbing away the blood before disappearing back into his mouth again.  
  
"Ngh," Tora whimpered as Itachi lowered his lips down her neck, trailing butterfly kisses and, at times, savage little nips in his wake. Suddenly, as his lips caressed the little groove at the base of her neck, he flipped both of the over, Tora landing roughly on the mattress beneath Itachi. She struggled in the slightest bit, nervousness clear in her eyes, and Itachi placed his hands back around her wrists.  
  
"Itachi-sama, please, I don't want this," Tora pleaded, withdrawal and fear shimmering in her eyes. Itachi's cloak fell in a veil around them, hiding them from the outside world and encasing them in a blackened sky. Tora was finally able to see something of Itachi's body for the first time, and he was lean and muscular. He wore a black mesh shirt and uniform black ninja pants, with bandages obscuring the flesh on his calves and ankles, with typical navy blue sandals.  
  
"No, puppet, you are mine now, to do as I please," Itachi smirked triumphantly, pinning Tora down. His ebony hair had come loose of its ponytail, now hanging down around his face and mingling with Tora's flame- hued locks that fanned out around her head like a halo. Tora only whimpered as Itachi lowered his mouth back to hers, stealing kisses greedily, and trailing them back down her neck and to her collarbone.  
  
"No!!!" Tora wailed as Itachi's lips came to the top of her shirt, his teeth toying with the fabric. 'Stop it!!!" Itachi smirked cruelly at the sound of Tora's pleas, the sound of a voice so desperate always amused him. The fact that she wasn't begging for her life, but her innocence, amused him even further, to the point of mad lust.  
  
"Hush now, Tora-chan," crooned Itachi mockingly, resting his chin on the area between her breasts and looking up at her with entertained eyes. "I promise that you'll like it."  
  
"No, Itachi-sama, I'm begging you," Tora cried, tears in her eyes. Itachi was about to answer when suddenly...  
  
"Where's that girl? I need something to eat!" Kisame's voice rang from the kitchen door, up the stairs to Tora and Itachi's ears. Itachi froze mid-word, his face a mask of absolute shock and hatred. With an angry roar, he released Tora's wrists and withdrew back into his velvet blankets, roughly shoving Tora out of bed. The redhead regained her balance clumsily, physically and mentally distraught at Itachi's cruel actions. However, she regained her composure and appearance, grabbed the watering can from the floor, and walked in her casual dignified manner out of the room and downstairs to fix Kisame a hot meal. 


	21. Torture

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora was silent for the rest of the day. Her sweet, strong and husky voice did not ring through the halls, her songs did not soothe and heal the withered plants. Her sobs did not echo from the bathroom, her soft breathing not resonating from her bedroom. No bright green eyes stared back at you, no fiery hair shined in the lamplight.  
  
Only a sweet smell told of her presence, her skilled and silent hands swiftly preparing anther delicious meal. Shrimp sizzled in the skillet along with assorted vegetables and white rice. Aside from her silence, it would be like any other day.  
  
Yet Tora had donned her Akatsuki cloak once more, the black fabric hiding her small, agile feet. Kisame stood in the kitchen with Tora, just watching as she made the meal. He had been standing there for the past half-hour, just watching as her body went about its task. Only once had he met her eyes, and the life seemed drained from them. The once lively, glistening eyes seemed dead and dry. The memories that had shone so brightly in her gaze were hidden behind a black wall of defense. He could no longer read her emotions. Kisame never realized how much he had grown to like those youthful, happy eyes- and now they were gone, and Kisame learned how much he longed for them. With an angry growl, he trudged out of the room, not wanting to be annoyed and perplexed by Tora's behavior.  
  
"Itachi-sama, what did you do to her?" demanded Kisame angrily, letting himself into Itachi's room. The ebony-haired sage looked over at Kisame from his bed, where he lay on his back looking up at the ceiling and listening to the rain. Itachi stared at Kisame in annoyance.  
  
"No more than what you tried," he replied simply, looking back up at the ceiling. "And what makes you think I did anything?"  
  
"I left you two alone for a few hours, and she isn't the type to hurt herself," Kisame growled. "Why did you hurt her? She's cooking downstairs as usual, but she's like a zombie. You broke her spirit, Itachi."  
  
"Wiser words than anything I ever expected from you," Itachi said with a little smirk. "So what if Tora is broken? Why do you care about my doll?"  
  
"Ah! That's the attitude I hate about you, Itachi!" Kisame barked angrily. "I'm concerned because it's affecting this whole damn house! I know that she had watered the plants today, but it's like they are dying with her! The rain is colder! Her chakra isn't warm and gold anymore, it's cold and silver. If this house's atmosphere was anything near death before, it's certainly fucking dead now!" Kisame roared. Itachi didn't move, he only smirked up at the ceiling. "I don't care if she is your puppet, you can't ruin her like this!"  
  
"She is my doll in more sense than one, Kisame," Itachi hissed calmly. "Are you forgetting who and what we are? We are sages, we are free from normal limitations. We kill our own families, we steal from our own pots, we steal from the blind and torture the innocence- we have no morals."  
  
"That is where Tora is different! She still has feelings! She still respects common morals!" Kisame argued. Itachi looked back to Kisame, amused.  
  
"This is the first time we have ever argued over such trivial things, Kisame," Itachi smirked. "But why should you care about Tora? Was she not the one who injured you?"  
  
"That doesn't matter, Itachi," Kisame hissed. "What did you to do break her like this?"  
  
"I am a sage-nin, I take what I want. I only went after something new," Itachi said with a wan smile before flopping back down. "As you did."  
  
"I never knew that you thought about sex, Itachi-sama. You have surprised me," Kisame chuckled unhappily. "But even if she is your new puppet, she still has will power. I don't know what you were thinking."  
  
"Women are far more devoted to their partners after losing their innocence, I suppose that was what I wanted to happen." Itachi smiled sickly. "I just wanted her to be all mine."  
  
"You disgust me," Kisame growled before he left. "You are just sick."  
  
"Oh, Kisame," Itachi called, summoning his comrade back.  
  
"What?" grumbled Kisame in annoyance- he was going to go check on dinner.  
  
"I want you to go check on everyone else in the Akatsuki," Itachi instructed. "I think that something dramatic and important has happened. I want you to find out what has been going on. This is a direct order," Itachi said sternly. "Oppose me and I will not hesitate to kill you." Kisame gulped, knowing that Itachi was not lying. With a silent little nod, he left and went into the kitchen. Things were so different now, there was something so perverse and insane about Itachi recently. He sat down, and Tora put a bowl of steaming shrimp kabobs over rice in front of him. Kisame took a bite.  
  
Well, at least Tora's cooking never changed. 


	22. Tear

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
And Kisame was gone.  
  
With much muttering and grumbling from the shark man, he was gone. Tora had made him his last hot meal, packed him a small lunch for his travels, and bid him goodbye. No words were exchanged, the only thing that was said being:  
  
"Be careful." Kisame had left Tora with those words, being more serious and concerned than ever imagined.  
  
Now Tora lingered in the kitchen, her deadened jade eyes staring blankly at the wall. Her feet no longer wandered the halls, her hands not making lovely things. She was afraid to go upstairs, where the evil she had come to know and love lay in waiting.  
  
She knew it. If she went up there, he would easily snatch her away to his dwelling and make her his. If she even took a step up the stairs, she would see him waiting. Thus, Tora stayed downstairs, where the silent beast did not venture.  
  
It was terrible.  
  
'I love Itachi-sama, I can't deny it. Sure, he hurts me all the time, but ever since he first cut my neck, I feel so drawn to him. It must be love, there is no other way to look at it. I want to make him happy, but I made a promise to my sister; that, even though she could not keep it, that I would remain a virgin. I want to make Itachi happy, but my past comes first.' Tora looked up at the ceiling as though she were looking into the room above her. What was Itachi doing...?  
  
A sudden gust of harsh storm wind battered the windows, and Tora shivered unwillingly. Since that incident with Itachi, everything seemed so cold and distant, with hidden evil lurking in the shadows.  
  
A strange little sound rang through the kitchen, and Tora's nerves snapped from their constant strain. She leapt up and brandished a kunai threateningly before she realized that she sound came from the door, not the window. Carefully she unlatched the heavy wooden door and opened it a crack.  
  
"Oh my," Tora whispered as she say the pitiful little bird laying on the doorstep. It's brilliant crimson pink feathers were soaked with rain, its strange bright blue eyes half-closed in exhaustion. Tora carefully bent down and cradled the animal in her hands, hugging it to her chest in effort to warm it up as she closed the door and took the creature inside.  
  
Placing the bird down on a soft white hand towel on the counter, Tora examined the pitiful creature. It's thick plumage was a brilliant blood red and pink color, little fringes of gold lining the ends of each feather. A short crest of tan feathers encompassed its small round head, and an eight-inch long tail flowed away from its body. One leg was folded in an incorrect angle, and Tora saw the creature wince as she gently touched it.  
  
"I'll take care of you," she crooned, the life slowly draining back into her eyes. Something needed her help, and now she would rise to the task with her old vigor and care. Ripping a piece of towel off, she rubbed an ointment from a drawer into the cloth, and tied it around the leg delicately. The creature's shining blue eyes, mostly the same color as hers, blinked up at her appreciatively before closing as the bird fell victim to heavy sleep. Tora smiled and wrapped the bird in the towel and placed it on the table, before preparing a bowl of water and a tin of bread for the ill one to eat when it awoke.  
  
Tora's loving smile disappeared at her thoughts wandered back to Itachi. He would surely need to eat, what would she do then? She could not go up to his room to deliver the meal, and he would eventually wander down here. She was trapped. Tora was so lost in her thoughts for so long that she didn't even sense the bird stirring from its sleep and hobbling over to her. Only when its soft, feathered head brushed against her cheek did she revive herself from her pondering.  
  
"Oh, you are awake," cooed Tora, gently rubbing two fingers down the bird's neck and back soothingly. "I suppose that means that you will live. I wonder what possessed you to be flying in such a long, cruel storm?" Tora wondered aloud as she petted the avian. The bird rubbed its golden beak and plumed cheek against Tora's cheek, neck, and shoulder.  
  
Tora savored the hour that they sat there, comforting each other, during such a storm.  
  
But Tora knew what needed to be done. Screw her honor code, if Itachi attacked her again she would hurt him back. Tora cooked a small meal silently, smiling wanly as the bird fluttered clumsily over to her and watched her cook with keen interest. Tora gently patted the creature's head and took the meal in her hands, slowly trudging towards the stairs. She would have to face Itachi sooner or later.  
  
"What are you doing?" whispered Tora softly as the bird flapped awkwardly onto her shoulder, nuzzling his cheek against Tora as if for support. The girl smiled appreciatively and walked up the stairs, slowly and standing tall. As expected, Itachi stood at the top of the stairs, waiting. His eyes grew harder and colder than usual at the sight of the bird.  
  
"I have brought you a meal, Itachi-sama," Tora said respectively, holding the plate out.  
  
"A new pet?" Itachi asked sarcastically, reaching out for the food. His hands brushed Tora's, and she couldn't help but shiver. He was so cold and intimidating. Tora swiftly turned away and dashed down the stairs, Itachi smirking behind her as he ate a bite of chicken. 


	23. Try

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora breathed in relief as she reentered the kitchen, flopping down on a chair. Itachi made her so antsy, but this time the bird that sat on her shoulder soothed her fear. Tora smiled appreciatively as she patted the bird's head again.  
  
"Whoever you are, you can come out now," Tora said to a seemingly empty kitchen. Suddenly, a man leapt down from the ceiling and bowed slightly to Tora. He wore an Akatsuki cloak, exactly the same as Tora and Itachi's. Blue bangs framed his pale, smooth-skinned face, and short sapphire locks shielded the rest of his head. Vivid blue eyes, exactly the same as the bird on Tora's shoulder, stared into Tora's own green eyes. He stood roughly six feet tall and intimidating, but showed no malice towards Tora. Instead of attacking, he bowed deeply and smiled at the girl.  
  
"Hello, Tora-sama. My name is-" the man started to introduce himself, when a cold voice interrupted.  
  
"Aosuzu, you bastard, what are you doing here?" Itachi hissed from the kitchen doorway that led to the stairs. The teenager glared icily at the man who stood before Tora.  
  
"Itachi-sama, long time no see," the man greeted pleasantly. Tora glared at both of them.  
  
"Itachi, do not bother yourself with this man," Tora said placidly, trying to get Itachi to go away. "I'll take care of you later."  
  
"Yes, you will... take care of me," Itachi smirked as he moved over behind Tora and wrapped his arms around her waist sneakily and rested his chin on her shoulder. Aosuzu seemed to be taken slightly aback, until Tora spoke again.  
  
"Itachi-sama, go away. I'll see to our guest." Her temper seemed under control until she slipped away from a rather surprised Itachi and gave him a quick backhand. Itachi glared at her, taking only one shot and that was to reopen her scarred neck. He disappeared out of the room.  
  
"My, you two seem friendly," Aosuzu chuckled.  
  
"It is far more violent than it look, sir," Tora said apologetically as she held a towel to her neck. "Now, what brings you here?" Tora asked, reaching down to pet the crimson bird that perched on the table, staring at the guest.  
  
"Firstly, I would like to thank you for retrieving my dear Houou," the man said with a smile, holding out his hand. The bird squawked happily and fluttered over into the man's callused palm.  
  
"He is yours?" Tora asked. "I found him at my doorstep. What happened?"  
  
"I sent him ahead to scout out the land lest I need to take shelter, and I suppose that the storm was just too much. I was headed this way to give you a message, Tora-sama." Aosuzu played absentmindedly with the bird, wrestling playfully with his hands. The bird squawked in bliss and fought back with beak and wing.  
  
"And that is...? Something has happened?" Tora pried, but then blushed. "Oh! Please, Aosuzu-sama, have a seat!" The man smiled and sat down at the table across from Tora.  
  
"I am just bringing a message to you from Orochimaru-sama. He has just deflected from the Akatsuki, and wished for me to deliver this," Aosuzu said, reaching inside his cloak and pulling out a small scroll.  
  
Tora smiled and slid it into her ninja pouch, not bothering to read it immediately. "So, he had left the Akatsuki? I wonder why, he seemed plenty strong and willing when I fought him."  
  
"Apparently, he wants to start his own hidden ninja village. He already has a small army of jounins, and has been visiting villages and recruiting little children. He has been planning for a long time, he just hasn't told anyone about it until now." Aosuzu leaned back in his chair and smiled at Tora. "You must be quite a fighter to be in the Akatsuki at such a young age. Few actually survive the tests."  
  
"It is nothing major, I suppose that I just learned from the best," Tora said with a nostalgic little smile.  
  
"So, Itachi is after you?" Tora nodded. "He was raised as a prodigy, so he doesn't know much about how normal people feel. I suppose that him being a sage doesn't help, he feels that he is free from moral law and conduct." Tora marveled at this man's reasoning, he was so wise it seemed. "But why did he hurt you so badly, I wonder? You must be something special, he usually just knocks someone out without leaving a mark."  
  
"Itachi, as my superior in strength, has made me his little puppet. Somehow, I haven't quite figured it out yet, this cut holds me to him. I can't bring myself to leave this place." Tora sighed. "I don't know why he wants me so badly, and I really don't care to find out."  
  
"Well, let's talk about it straight, Tora- you are a knockout. You are sexy, silent, and mysterious, with curves and a loyal attitude. Most guys would kill to have you stuck to them at the hip. Maybe Itachi just feels the same as most men."  
  
"You don't... see me that way, do you?" Tora asked sheepishly. "I mean, you don't look at me like everyone else does, I can see it in your eyes."  
  
"I don't see an attractive woman when I look at you, you are right," Aosuzu said. "I see you as a strong young woman who has a will and reason to live. I see you as a great kid." Tora was taken aback, something warm and caring shone in the man's eyes. It was something she could only remember from many years ago- it was like how a father would look at his children.  
  
"Thanks," Tora whispered happily. 


	24. Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
(  
  
"So, Tora-chan, if I may call you that, why are you even in the Akatsuki? This isn't quite a place for women, and I do not say that in a sexist manner. You seem so calm and decent, why would you become a terrorist?" Aosuzu asked as Tora began to cook him a meal.  
  
"I am not honestly sure, maybe I'm just a violent girl, but I can't really tell you more than that," Tora said with a shrug as she chopped some leeks and chives. "I suppose that I wanted to meet people as strong as me. I guess not being raised as a ninja, I wanted to see what you people were like."  
  
"This wouldn't be a good place for you, then. Most of us are just lecherous men and godless heathens," Aosuzu replied.  
  
"Is that true?" Tora asked, looking over her shoulder, her eyes hard and serious. "Are you all really that shallow, with no deep feelings at all?" Aosuzu seemed taken aback by Tora's sudden seriousness, but smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Well, I would be giving myself too much credit if I said that I was a great, spiritual man, but I'm not as bad as Kisame, if you don't mind me saying." The edges of the blue-haired man's eyes crinkled up in a smile as Tora's expression softened.  
  
"Alright, since we are playing twenty questions- why are you here? You seem like a good guy," Tora asked as she turned the heat on the stove up. "Damn, this thing heats too quickly."  
  
"Honestly, I'm just looking for adventure. I'm just an old man who's bored with everyday excursions. Maybe I am the same as you," he said lightly.  
  
"You aren't old, and what village are you from? I don't see a forehead protector." Tora glanced over at Aosuzu.  
  
"I'm thirty years young, twice as old as you, Tora-chan!" Aosuzu joked. "I actually came from the Cloud Country. I wear my forehead protector around my waist, I don't look good with it on my head." Both Tora and Aosuzu laughed at the humor, and Tora smiled happily as went back to her cooking.  
  
"What are you wanted for?" she asked lightly, and Aosuzu's smile disappeared rapidly. His merry smile twisted into a frown.  
  
"What makes you think that I am wanted for anything?" he asked, being far more serious than before.  
  
"I know when people are hiding things from me, Aosuzu. Now, you can't have done much worse than I, so let it go. I'll listen, and I promise not to think any less of you," Tora encouraged calmly, sounding very much like a mother chiding a child.  
  
"Fine, you win, Tora-chan. I ran away from my village after committing a few assorted rapes. I had marred twenty-nine women by the time I had left." Silence hung heavy in the room, the tension between the two sages, hovering over them like a thick, warm blanket.  
  
"How interesting and surprising," Tora commented offhandedly. "I'm surprised, you don't seem like the type." Tora turned and smiled warmly at the man. "You seem so fatherly and gentle." Aosuzu grinned mischievously, and stood up.  
  
"Nah, I'm not old enough to be a father, you little punk!" the man growled playfully, grabbing Tora in a headlock and rubbing his knuckles across the top of Tora's head roughly.  
  
"Stop that!" Tora squealed, squirming. "You nutty old man!"  
  
Itachi listened to the joyful laughter from his room above the kitchen, disgust on his face. Mirth was not welcome in this house. With a low growl, he sat back in bed and squeezed his eyes shut, focusing his mind's eye on a mental image of Tora and the cut on her neck. It was time to deepen the jutsu.  
  
Tora was his, and only his. No one would stand in his way. 


	25. Trick

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
(  
  
Tora, in the midst of her and Aosuzu's juvenile mirth, felt a strange burning in her cut. Her smile instantly faded as the ache spread outwards through her veins, making her body burn as if on fire or being drenched in acid. With a low groan, she collapsed to the floor.  
  
"Tora-chan? What's wrong?" Aosuzu asked in concern, crouching down besides her, resting a hand on her quaking shoulder. Houou perched on her hair, squawking in alarm and pecking lightly at Tora's skin. "Tora!"  
  
"Hhhhaaaa," Tora breathed heavily, releasing a deep breath of air from her lungs and drawing in another greedy, needing gulp of air. "Sshhooooooo- hhhhaaaaaa," she hissed, her eyes squeezed shut. With a choking rattle emitting from her throat, Tora rested her head down on the cold floor, her hair falling over her head. Only then did Aosuzu see it- the symbol on her neck was burning orange.  
  
"Itachi," he hissed angrily, whipping up the stairs like a streak of lightning.  
  
"What an unexpected surprise, Aosuzu," Itachi greeted calmly from his seat on the bed. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Don't play shit with me, Itachi, what are you doing to Tora?" Aosuzu accused hatefully.  
  
"Oh, just putting my plan to get rid of you in motion," Itachi replied. "You see, Aosuzu, you were always telling me that I should behave a little better, and consequently I hate you. Tora is my doll in every sense, and I don't want you to make her think otherwise," Itachi informed the seething man.  
  
"Why are you hurting her?" he growled dangerously.  
  
"I know that you care about her welfare, so I am going to torture her like this until you get out of my house." Itachi smirked.  
  
"You asshole, leave her out of this," Aosuzu fumed. "I'm not going to take her from you, she wouldn't leave you of she could. She loves you, Itachi! Stop hurting her like this!"  
  
"She is hardier than you think, old man," Itachi hissed through his teeth. "Love- what pitiful noise. I could not care less about her feelings. I only care about my own slight urges."  
  
"Bastards like you never change, you're just going to screw her and leave her in the dust," the man lectured, utter resentment glittering in his sapphire eyes.  
  
"Unlike some people I know- twenty nine to your name?" Itachi retorted. "Listen, Tora's going to pass out at this rate, maybe you and that damned crow should get out now." Aosuzu only stared at Itachi insanely for several seconds before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Itachi smiled to himself and stood up, his cloak swishing against the floor. He silently slipped down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Tora lay on the floor still.  
  
"Are you alive?" he asked quietly, kicking her side and forcing her to roll over onto her back so he could get a good look at her. Wet green eyes avoided his Sharingans as her chest rose and fell with each heavy breath. Itachi noticed, a small heat rising in his stomach, how her skirt was slipping upwards, revealing her tanned legs, and how perfectly toned her body was. So meticulously trained, so carefully cared for, so perfectly formed.  
  
"What have you done?" Tora groaned, not bothering to move from the floor. "What did you tell Aosuzu?"  
  
"Your dear friend has left us, he abandoned you. He came up and told me how lucky I was to- and I quote- have such a 'lovely, supple young woman living with me'. He also remarked about how you may be his 'number thirty'. I don't know what he meant," Itachi lied smoothly, noting how distressed Tora became at such words.  
  
"No, he wouldn't say that," she mumbled, sitting up. "He isn't like that."  
  
"Some people never change, Tora, let's face it," Itachi crooned comfortingly, kneeling down and placing a condoling hand on her shoulder. "At least you still have me." Tora looked at Itachi with sad eyes.  
  
"You are the only one I have left, Itachi-sama," she said with a wan smile. Itachi inwardly grumbled, this was getting him nowhere. He closed his eyes and started concentrating on his mental image of Tora, ready to call her blood to him.  
  
"Itachi-sama, what are you do-" Tora started to ask when, suddenly, a strange feeling ran wild in her veins. She didn't know it then, but Itachi was using his jutsu. 


	26. Twine

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
(  
  
'What is this feeling?' Tora thought in a dazed confusion as she felt the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach and heat in her veins. The heat was nothing like the painful fire before, now it was like an overwhelming comfort. 'I have only felt similar to this when I was kissing Itachi-sama. has my love returned?' Tora looked at Itachi, whose eyes were closed in something like concentration. Suddenly, his Sharingans snapped back open and looked at Tora coldly.  
  
"I will be in my room if you need me," he said, leaving Tora kneeling on the floor. She watched him leave, a new feeling arising within her. Passion.  
  
Itachi smirked as he closed his door behind him; it would not be long now. He had directly instructed his energy that lay in Tora to do its dirty work. Recently, bedding Tora and making her his was all that mattered to him. Aosuzu was just an obstacle, Tora belonged to him and she needed to learn that. Maybe breaking her innocence would prove his point.  
  
Tora climbed silently up the stairs after several minutes had passed, trying to reason with herself. What about her promise of virginity? What if she couldn't deny Itachi anymore? 'That promise is out the window.' Tora concluded. 'Ren is dead I have nothing left. The one person I thought didn't see me as a plaything thinks that I am his slut. My family is dead, my teacher couldn't take my foolish ways- that is why he left. It is all so clear now. I have nothing left, so why deny the only person who wants me? If I don't please him. I'll be alone again.' Tora mentally cried. Resolutely, she stood up.  
  
Everything was out the window now. No family was left to enforce rules and morals, no friends left to comfort her and protect her from Itachi. Ninjas were tough, they are supposed to take care of themselves. Jiraiya must have found her pleasant, naïve attitude refreshing for a time, but it had gotten annoying and that is why he left. There was no other reason.  
  
Tora closed her eyes and breathed deeply. 'I love Itachi, so this cannot be wrong. When people love each other, they do things like this'. It would be all right. Itachi was the only one who wanted her now, so it didn't matter anyway.  
  
Silently, she climbed the stairs, each step deliberate and sure. She smiled slightly, maybe Itachi was just playing with her. Maybe this symbol for 'puppet' on her neck was more than a tattoo he found attractive, maybe it was something deeper. But it still didn't matter.  
  
She crept to Itachi's oaken bedroom door, reaching up to knock, when suddenly, a voice called to her from inside.  
  
"You may enter, Tora," Itachi said, obviously amused about something. Tora opened the door slightly and slipped in as stealthily as a cat, softly closing the door behind her.  
  
"Itachi-sama," she greeted politely.  
  
"You need something Tora?" Itachi asked, motioning her to sit down. Tora rested herself down softly on the bed next to Itachi. Tora only nodded.  
  
"Itachi-sama, I feel so abandoned and strange. I don't know how to explain how I feel," she said, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. "I know that you hate overt displays of emotion, but I just feel so lost," Tora whispered weakly. Itachi smiled, resting a hand on Tora's thigh, one finger playing lightly with the top of her leg warmer.  
  
"You feel. lost?" he probed further, causing Tora to look at him in shock.  
  
"You have not told me off yet, Itachi-sama," she said in surprise. "I'm flattered."  
  
"Tora-chan, if you are lost," Itachi said, leaning down towards Tora's face and holding his lips a hairsbreadth from hers, "let me guide you." Itachi pressed his lips against Tora's, initiating the kiss. 


	27. Tired

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The kiss deepened quickly, heated breath mingling as cold, thin lips pressed against Tora's full warm lips pleadingly. Tora closed her eyes slowly, bliss overtaking her senses numbly. Itachi's tongue forced its way into her mouth, intertwining with her own. His pallid, callused hands reached up to her face, cradling her cheeks in their palm, occasionally straying to her hair to twirl and fiddle with a few locks of fiery strands.  
  
Itachi's lips trailed down her neck, excitedly biting her flesh greedily and licking away the blood from her gash. The boy found it harder and harder to control himself as the fires of passion coursed though his veins. As he lowered his lips, he brought his hands to Tora's upper arms and gently pressed her down against the bed. She didn't struggle this time, instead arching her neck to allow Itachi better access. Itachi stole a glance at her face and was pleasantly surprised- her eyes were closed lightly, her breathing slightly ragged, her cheeks flushed. He knew it- she was liking it now.  
  
"Tora-chan, are you going to yell at me again?" Itachi said in amusement, nipping at Tora's collarbone and tracing the bone with his tongue sensually. She squirmed slightly, and Itachi found himself thinking that maybe his control over her was fading.  
  
"No, Itachi-sama, I cannot yell at you. Something in me can't stop you anymore," Tora replied, her voice deepened slightly with desire and pleasure. Itachi smirked toothily; this was all to perfect.  
  
"Very good, Tora-chan," he said, moving his hands down and practically ripping away her black arm warmers and throwing them carelessly away behind him, bringing his palms back over her breasts. He savagely kissed and nipped the flesh of her neck as he massaged her chest, drawing a small moan from Tora's parted lips. Itachi smirked again and pulled the black cloth away from her bust, involuntarily tearing the cloth and ripping her bra away as well. The perfectly cupped breasts met the air, and Tora gasped. Itachi's grasp suddenly seemed so cold.  
  
Itachi's tongue traced the edge of one dark, hardened nipple carefully as his other hand massaged her other breast, forcing slight whimpers and mewls from between Tora's lips.  
  
Itachi didn't pause long enough to fully enjoy such a perfect bust, removing his hands pulling away his cloak from his body and flinging it away with her arm warmers. Without batting an eyelid, he pulled his shirt over his head and continued stripping Tora of her leg warmers. This ninja was going straight for the pleasure points.  
  
Itachi leaned over Tora, looking up and down at the exposed parts of her divine figure, her passion-filled eyes looking back up at him.  
  
Itachi lowered his lips back down to Tora's 'puppet' symbol, licking away the blood as his hands roughly pulled away her skirt and black lace underpants, leaving her completely exposed beneath him. The heat rose in Tora's cheeks at such exposure, at such vulnerability.  
  
"Don't be ashamed, Tora-chan," Itachi crooned. "You are too lovely to be ashamed." Tora's eyes fluttered open slightly to look at Itachi, meeting his gaze shyly. Itachi suddenly stuck two fingers into Tora's mouth, wetting them and withdrawing them almost immediately. Before Tora could protest, Itachi shoved them into the area between her legs, drawing a shocked little scream from Tora's lips.  
  
"Hush, Tora-chan, it will only hurt for a bit," Itachi said, drawing his fingers out before brutally shoving them in again. Small tears drifted down Tora's cheeks at the pain of such an intrusion. Itachi, slowly at first them speeding up, rhythmically worked his way in and out of Tora until her shudders slowly faded away into calmness as she grew used to the pleasurable sensation.  
  
Itachi removed his hands from the area between Tora's legs and worked his way out of his pants and whatever undergarment he wore, leaving him as raw and unshielded as Tora. Placing one hand on each of Tora's thighs, he positioned himself at her entrance, hitching her knees around his hips. However, he stopped suddenly, and Tora, who had braced herself for the painful entrance, fluttered her eyes open and looked Itachi in question.  
  
"Say my name," Itachi instructed cruelly, leering at the slightly frightened Tora. Sweat dripped from her hairline already from the encounter and tears wetted her cheeks.  
  
"What?" she asked in reply, her voice timid and unsure. Itachi growled and gripped her thighs tightly with his fingernails, drawing blood. Tora hissed in pain, while Itachi lifted his fingers and licked away the blood. He looked down at the frightened Tora, annoyed slightly.  
  
"Say my name," he growled to the confused girl. Suddenly, he forced his hardened length into her opening, forcing her to scream in shock. He withdrew himself, then spoke again. "Say my name," this time in a lower, more threatening voice. He slammed himself into her again, forcing her to gasp. He lingered in her, waiting.  
  
"Ah. ahh. Itachi-sama!" Tora choked out, gritting her teeth as he withdrew his length and bent over her body, running one bloody finger down her cheek with a chuckle.  
  
"Ah, you are so naïve to pleasing people physically, but I will forgive you this time," Itachi chuckled, ramming himself into her again and forcing his name from her again. His fingers now gripped her arms in a vice-like grip as he sped up his momentum, drawing himself in and out of Tora faster and harder, hastier than before as the pleasure surmounted powerfully. Tora's fingers griped the bed sheets tightly enough to tear the threads.  
  
"Itachi-sama!" Tora cried aloud as she felt herself nearing her climax, his forceful and aggressive intrusions rapidly speeding up. Mewls and short moans fell from both their mouths, Itachi's eyes alight with the fires of lust and amusement as he gazed down at Tora. His eyes widened, though, as something new dawned within him.  
  
With a loud, seething hiss from Itachi and a short cry from Tora, Itachi climaxed within the redhead, his seed creeping out from between her legs. Itachi's forceful ministrations slowed slightly after such a height, and eventually stopped as he rested his forehead down between her breasts, gasping for air. He grinned up at her.  
  
"Satisfied?" he asked hoarsely, the fires in his blood subsiding as he noticed how quickly the wound on her neck had closed back up.  
  
"Itachi-sama," was all Tora could manage to say. It was as if all of the fatigue and sleeplessness from the previous week had crept back up on her, exhaustion rudely reappearing in her eyes. Itachi noticed it immediately; the rain that had kept her up for so long could not keep her eyelids open any longer. Itachi himself was quite able to go at it for several more hours, but in a strange respect for his partner, refrained. He groaned and rolled over, releasing her body from the weight of his own. He lay next to her, one hand propping his head up, the other lingering on Tora's thigh. He looked down at her weary, sad face with sudden interest.  
  
"Did I hurt you?" he asked, wiping away one of the tears, his voice amused and mirthful.  
  
"A master should not care for his puppet," Tora growled at him. "You don't care if I am hurt." She kept her gaze away from his. Itachi stroked his leg appreciatively.  
  
"You are right, Tora-chan, but I don't want my doll to snap its strings," Itachi purred. "Sleep now." Tora shuddered, and let her eyes close in relief, as if she were waiting for Itachi to excuse her. Her body instinctively curled into a little ball, and Itachi looked on with slight amusement.  
  
He checked to make sure she was sleeping soundly before wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her warm body to his, cupping her body with his, and let his own eyes close. 


	28. Tinge

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora's eyes snapped open as her senses detected another powerful chakra near hers. She was about to reach for her trusty kunai when she realized her situation- lying nude in bed with another body pressed against hers. She had to hide her expression of disgust and shame forcefully as she carefully lifted the red velvet covers off her body and attempted to leave. She realized it too late, though- a set of arms was locked firmly around her waist. She fell gracelessly back down, awakening her partner who roughly tightened his grip of her.  
  
"Where are you going, Tora-chan?" the voice asked mockingly, and the person buried their face in Tora's hair. "You seemed to want to leave."  
  
"Itachi-sama," Tora said, blushing a painfully red hue and closing her eyes in guilt, "I was intending to leave." Her heart felt heavy, her head spun. How did she let this happen? She felt so. dirty. It all came back to her. Aosuzu-sama had said cruel things about her behind her back, and Itachi-sama had comforted her in her tears. She wanted to make it up to him. that was how this happened. Tora gritted her teeth and fought back the hot tears that welled in the back of her eyes.  
  
"Please let me go, Itachi-sama," Tora pleaded. Itachi looked down at her in annoyance.  
  
"Why? Maybe I like having another body in such tight quarters with mine," Itachi commented coldly.  
  
"Then ask Kisame! I'm sick of it!" Tora yelled violently, wrenching free of Itachi's grasp viciously and dashing out of the room, nimbly grabbing her cloak with her toe and swinging it up to her arms as she ran out of the bedroom. Itachi, surprised somewhat, stared after the girl even after she disappeared from sight. With a sigh, he flopped back down on the mattress and looked up at the ceiling. He felt. full somehow. Maybe sex will do that to a man.  
  
Tora flung herself down onto her bed, a heavy stream of tears pouring from her eyes. How could she have been so foolish? Just because she had felt so helpless and lost last night did not mean she should go running around like some tramp, like a common cheap prostitute! Sobbing brokenly, she carefully picked at the small change of clothes that lay on her floor, securing her cloak around her body so that the onyx fabric obscured her skin. Reaching into her discarded ninja pack and wiping her tears away, though still crying dryly, she retrieved the scroll given to her by Aosuzu, sent by Orochimaru. What would that bastard want with her?  
  
With an angry, low growl, Tora unfurled the scroll- decorated oddly with purple snakes on a blood red background with silver trim- and began to read the spidery, thin handwriting.  
  
Dearest Tora-chan,  
  
As you have heard, I have deflected from the Akatsuki to begin my own village- the Hidden Sound. I will not be long in my letter despite my desires to write for days- I invite you to join my village.  
  
When- and if- you deflect from the Akatsuki, I am willing to provide you with lodging in my palace and give you the position as Anbu captain. You are a fellow sage, and quite capable of surviving on your own as you have for so long, but I still beseech you to accept my offer.  
  
You have unbelievable talents for one so young. You were quite a match for me when I tested you, and one with that ability is a true diamond in the rough. Tora-chan, we are kindred spirits. We are so very alike, each of us with amazing abilities and the power to rule. We both have frightful pasts and undermining companions, why do we not simply join forces?  
  
I quite understand if you wish to remain with Itachi-sama and Kisame- sama, as they are mentors for your ability. Please, though, consider my offer. If you wish to accept, my village lies to the northeast of the Konohagakure, or you can simply ask any ninja you may cross paths with that has a forehead protector with a musical note engraved on it. Even if you reject, however, I would like to hear from you.  
  
Affection always,  
  
Orochimaru 


	29. Tragic

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora growled and rolled the scroll back up, flopping back down onto her bed restlessly. What would she do? Joining forces with Orochimaru in a civilized society would be lovely, but she could never leave Itachi. Her heart felt like it would rip in two.  
  
"Well?" Itachi asked from the door, causing Tora's hairs to stand on end in shock and anger. How dare he even speak to her at this time, after everything he did to her!  
  
"Well what, Itachi-sama?" she replied, her tone bitter and sour. Itachi zipped forwards in effort to strike her neck or grab her by the hair, but Tora's hands soared through their katas and Itachi reeled back. She had slammed a fireball into his face, and he had barely managed to avoid it.  
  
"What the fuck is your problem?" he spat out at her from his position on the ceiling, and she folded her arms under the confines of her cloak.  
  
"Why won't you leave me alone?" she said simply, closing her eyes and smirking slightly as she looked down at the floor. "You got what you wanted, why are you still hanging around me?"  
  
"Don't give me that know-it-all attitude, I hate it when people smirk down at me like that." Itachi leapt down from the ceiling with the silence of a kitten's footsteps, standing a foot from Tora, looking down at her.  
  
"What is it with you? I gave you what you wanted, why don't you just walk away now?" Tora rephrased, probing again. She didn't even bat an eyelid as Itachi's grabbed her chin with one hand and roughly forced her face to look to his. Crimson Sharingans stared down at Tora with keen, sharp anger, and her dulled green eyes only stared blankly in return.  
  
"You are a puppet. Puppets are good until they break beyond repair- and what I have done is nothing in comparison to what could happen, Tora- chan. I own you," Itachi said, concentrating on his mental image of Tora, "and right now I want you to be your old, obnoxiously polite self."  
  
Tora tried to fight the unsettling feeling of freeness and contentment rising within her. She knew it now, these feelings she had felt recently were not her own- they were Itachi's instructions. Gasping at the realization of the truth, she gritted her teeth in exertion from holding her emotions back.  
  
"You did it- you were the one who made my blood boil last night. Aosuzu didn't say those things about me, you made them up. You made me feel so empty, you were the one who got me into bed. You were the one behind it all." Tora's eyes pleaded Itachi to tell her she was wrong.  
  
Itachi said nothing, only stared straight into her sad green eyes icily. She had figured it out, and he didn't want to know what would happen if she decided to work away from him. She had an annoyingly strong willpower, and if she went ballistic in the house. neither of them would survive.  
  
Itachi activated his Sharingans, and Tora only had time to gasp as he flung her subconscious into a private hell.  
  
Tora's form began to collapse weakly to the floor, her pupils rolling back into her head and a rattling moan escaping her lips. Itachi didn't let her fall- he caught her and flung her onto her bed roughly. He looked down at her sprawling figure with something like satisfaction- what he had put her through subconsciously would have surely killed anyone else. So many knives, swords, and needles puncturing her skin at once would have broken anyone weaker to the point of death. Hell, he had practically raped her spirit of everything left, yet she still had the will to survive. Itachi turned to leave the room.  
  
She was far stronger and more useful than hypothesized. 


	30. Tatters

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
  
Rated R for: Graphic violence, adult language, adult situations, and sexual content.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Tora stirred, confused as she looked around the large, dark stone room she was in. She tried moving her arm and legs, but found them shackled tightly to the wall behind her. Summoning all of her strength, she resisted the capture, but found the metal chains to be inhumanly strong, greater than her own strength. She hissed angrily in confusion and looked around, sensing another person in the room.  
  
"Tora-chan," purred Itachi as he appeared from the darkness. "Welcome."  
  
"Welcome where?" Tora spat, and Itachi kicked her painfully hard in the stomach.  
  
"I'm in charge here, Tora-chan." Itachi smirked in sadistic mirth. "Welcome to your private hell." Tora looked up at Itachi, confused, and he just smiled down at her strangely. Suddenly, his pallid hand appeared from beneath his cloak, and Tora noticed that he was holding something.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing?" she growled savagely, beginning to panic at his calm cruelty. She saw it too late- the whip in his hand came down on her head, slicing her cheek deeply. "Ahhh!" She gritted her teeth in pain, and the whip cracked again, against her back. She felt the skin beneath her shirt meet air as the cloth was severed by the weapon. "Stop it, Itachi!"  
  
"What did you call me?" Itachi asked cruelly, smiling disdainfully down at her. He wrapped the whip around his knuckles and lifted on foot, placing the heel firmly on Tora's shoulder and pressing down. The helpless girl was forced to bow painfully, her arms tugging against the binding chains. "I am Itachi-sama to you, now say it!" Itachi cackled evilly. He unfurled the whip and cruelly lashed the girl's bare back.  
  
"Ah! Itachi-sama!" she cried in pain, little diamond tears forming around her eyes. "Stop it, please!" she sobbed. She dared not to even meet his eyes, being so vulnerable shamed to her. Itachi's pressure on her shoulder increased, forcing her forehead against the ground.  
  
"No thanks, Tora-chan, I think that I'll enjoy this while I can," Itachi replied simply, flicking the whip carelessly and gouging her back again. Tora hissed in pain. "It's time you learned your place." Itachi's cruel beating lasted for what seemed like hours, Tora's remaining clothes in tatters and her back in ribbons, every inch of her body at his mercy.  
  
Itachi flung the whip away into the darkness and crouched down in front of the silently sobbing Tora. He took a handful of hair in his fist and tugged her face up towards his painfully. He smiled at her and licked away her tears, smirking as she cringed beneath his touch.  
  
"Stop it, Itachi," Tora pleaded again, weaker now than before. Itachi brutally hit her cheek, drawing blood from the wound.  
  
"What did you call me?" he hissed.  
  
"Itachi-sama!" Tora cried apologetically. "Enough!"  
  
"No, enough is never enough," Itachi responded, shoving Tora up from her kneeling position into a squat. Her naked, injured and bleeding body shuddered weakly as Itachi knelt down in front of her, looking into her eyes.  
  
"What are you-" Tora started to ask, when her eyes suddenly went wide in shock. Itachi's fingers slid between her legs roughly, drawing a raspy gasp from Tora's lips.  
  
"Just slowly killing you, Tora," Itachi whispered in Tora's ear, his body so very close to hers as he pleasured himself at her expense. Tears fell unabated from her eyes.  
  
"Stop it, Itachi-sama!" she shrieked. "No! No! No more!" she sobbed brokenly as Itachi's hot breath tingled her neck, heated by his pleasure. He placed hungry, breathy kisses on her neck as he intruded upon her body. "Stop it! No, please Itachi-sama! Stop!"  
  
But Itachi wouldn't stop, and he would just hurt her all he wanted for three lovely days. 


End file.
